Book iJ 



Copyright W?.. 



CQMRIGMT DEPOSIT. 



Xlbe OLeaMttQ jfacts ot Ibtstor^ Series 
THE 

LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN 
HISTORY 

BY 

D. H MONTGOMERY 



"America is another word for Opportunity." — Emerson 



BOSTON, U.S.A. 
GINN & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS 
Cbe &tf)ensettm JJtegfi 

1899 




Copyright, 1890, 1S95, 1896, 
D. H. MONTGOMERY 

Copyright, 1899, by 
D. H. MONTGOMERY 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



TWO OOP IPS* S€CE!VEB. 




I i 

k 



D. H. M. 

TO 

D. A. M. and D. W. M 



PREFATORY NOTE. 



HIS work is based on a careful study of the highest 



recognized authorities on the subject. Its purpose is 
to present in a clear, connected, and forcible manner the 
important events in the history of our country. 

The author has had three chief objects in view, — accuracy 
of statement, simplicity of style, impartiality of treatment. 

In the preparation of this work his grateful acknowledgments 
are due to J. Franklin Jameson, Professor of History in Brown 
University, for his valuable assistance in the revision of the 
proof-sheets. The author also desires to express his thanks 
for the use of books and papers in the Library of Harvard Uni- 
versity, the Library of Congress, and the Library of the Mas- 
sachusetts Historical Society, and he is especially indebted to 
the Librarian and the attendants of the Boston Athenaeum for 
the aid they have so courteously rendered him. 




DAVID H. MONTGOMERY. 



ffig^' The numbering of the paragraphs or sections in this edition corre- 
sponds to the numbering in all earlier editions. 



CONTENTS. 



SECTION* PAGE 

I. The Discover}- and Naming of America, 1492 to 1521 . . . 1 
II. Attempts at Exploring and Colonizing America (the Country, 
the Natives, Effects of the Discovery of America on 

Europe), 1509 to 1600 25 

III. Permanent English and French Settlements (the Thirteen 

Colonies, French Exploration of the West, Wars with the 

Indians and with the French, Colonial Life), 1607 to 1763 . 51 

IV. The Revolution; the Constitution, 1763 to 17S9 152 

V. The Union, — National Development ( Presidents from Wash- 
ington to Buchanan, inclusive), 17S9 to 1S61 195 

VI. The Civil War, 1861 to 1865 293 

VII. Reconstruction, — the New Nation, 1S65 to the Present Time 335 

APPENDIX.— 

1. The Declaration of Independence (with an Introduction) . . i 

2. The Constitution (with an Introduction and Notes) .... vi 

3. Table of Admission of States xix 

4. Table of Presidents xxiii 

5. Principal Dates in American History xxiv 

6. List of Books on American History xxxiii 

7. Table of Boundaries of the United States xxxvii 

S. Tables of Population and Representation of the United States xxxix 

9. Questions for Examination xlii 

10. Topical Analysis 1 

11. Index lxv 

xi 



xii 



CONTENTS. 



LIST OF FULL-PAGE AND OF DOUBLE-PAGE MAPS. 



MAP PAGE 

I. The World as known shortly before and after the Sailing 

of Columbus 7 

II. Frobisher's Map of America, 1576 (colored) 34 

III. North and South America, showing Routes of Columbus, 

Cabot, Magellan, Drake, and Gosnold (double page) 

(colored) 36 

IV. Indian Tribes of the United States (colored) 46 

V. Physical Features of the United States, with type page . . 50 

VI. First Settlements made on the Eastern Coast of North 

America (colored) 53 

VII. England and Holland — the Homes of the Pilgrims (double- 
page) (colored) 78 

VIII. The Thirteen English Settlements and the French Explo- 
rations and Settlements (colored) 128 

IX. The Period of the Revolution, — New England States, 

including New York City and Vicinity (colored) ... 156 
X. The Period of the Revolution, — the Middle States (colored) 172 
XL The Period of the Revolution, — the Southern States 

(colored) 183 

XII. The United States at the Close of the Revolution, 17S3, 

showing Land Claims of States (colored) 188 

XIII. The Northwest Territory of 1787 (colored) 190 

XIV. The United States in 1792, showing our Claim to Oregon 

(colored) 209 

XV. The Missouri Compromise, 1820 230 

XVI. Area of Freedom and Slavery in 1857 2S3 

XVII. The United States in 1861, — the Civil War (double page) 

(colored) 300 

XVIII. Territorial Growth of the United States from 1783 to the 

Present Time (double page) (colored) 342 

XIX. Relief Map of the United States 345 

XX. General Map of the United States at the Present Time 

(double page) (colored) 372 

XXL The United States and Dependent Territories (colored) . 396 



CONTENTS. Xlll 
LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

I. Stuart's Washington Frontispiece 

II. Columbus approaching Land 15 

III. Captain John Smith 56 

IV. Washington before the Revolution 136 

V. Benjamin Franklin 150 

VI. Franklin's Letter to Strahan (script) 164 

VII. Thomas Jefferson 168 

VIII. The Monroe Doctrine (two pages) • . . 232 

IX. Henry Clay 234 

X. John C. Calhoun 247 

XL Daniel Webster 248 

XII. Abraham Lincoln 286 

XIII. Grant's " Unconditional Surrender " Letter (script) . . . 306 

XIV. General Lee 311 

XV. Lir coin's Proclamation of Emancipation (script) .... 315 

XVI. The High-Water Mark Monument at Gettysburg, facing . 316 

XVII. Soldiers' Monument at Gettysburg, facing 317 

XVIII. View from Lookout Mountain 321 

XIX. General Grant 323 

XX. Admiral Farragut with Porter and Foote (Civil War) . . 327 

XXI. Generals Sherman, Thomas, and Hancock (Civil War) . . 329 

XXII. Sherman's Field Order 330 

XXIII. Lee's Letter to Grant (script) 331 

XXIV. Spanish War, — Naval Commanders 392 

XXV. Spanish War, — Army Commanders 394 



THE 

Leading Facts of American History. 



^o^oo 

I. 

•• He [the Most High] gave to thee [Columbus] the keys of those gates 
of the Ocean . . . which were fast closed with such mighty chains." — 
Dream of Colum bus, narrated in his Letter to the King and Queen of Spain, 
!5°3- 

THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OE AMERICA. 

(1492-1521.) 

COLUMBUS. — CABOT. — AMERIGO VESPUCCI. - 

i. Birth of Columbus; Ideas about the Earth; the " Sea of 
Darkness." — Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of Amer- 
ica, was born in Genoa. Italy, about the year 1436.- 

At that time the earth was generally supposed to be flat, 
to be much smaller than it actually is. and to be habitable on 
its upper side alone. 

The only countries laid down on the rude and imperfect 
maps then in use were the continent of Europe.' 3 part of Asia, 
a narrow strip of Northern and Eastern Africa : and,, finally, 
a few islands, the largest of which were the British Isles and 
Iceland. 

1 Amerigo Vespucci (or Americus Vespucius) : Italian pronunciation. Ah-ma- 
ree'go Ves-poot'chee. 

- The exact year of his birth cannot be determined : several excellent authori- 
ties favor 1436. 3 See Map of the World on page 2. 



2 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1436. 




The Atlantic was popularly called the "Sea of Darkness." 
It was believed to be covered with thick black fogs, and to be 

guarded by terrible mon- 
sters, which alike made 
it impassable. For these 
reasons, though the mari- 
ner's compass had long 
been known, yet naviga- 
tors seldom dared to go 
out of sight of land, except 
to reach such islands as 
the Canaries and Azores, 
which some storm-driven 
sailor had originally dis- 
covered by chance. 

Europe, at this period, 
had no true ocean com- 
merce: its trade by sea 
was confined to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast. 

2. The Voyages and Discoveries of the Northmen. — To these 
statements one marked exception must be made. The North- 
men, those daring sailors of Norway and Denmark, from whom 
our own English-speaking race has largely sprung, 1 braved 
even the tempests and the terrors of the Atlantic. By acci- 
dent they made a number of remarkable discoveries several 
centuries before Columbus. Though they had no compass, — 
no guide, in fact, but the sun and the stars, 2 — yet they were 

1 The Northmen invaded and permanently settled the northeastern half of Eng- 
land in the ninth century. In the next century they established themselves in North- 
western France, which district was called from them Normandy (the country of the 
Normans, or Northmen). In 1066 the Normans crossed the Channel and conquered 
England. Hence many English, since the ninth century, and their descendants in 
America, must have sprung from the Northmen. 

2 Sometimes the Northmen, in their distant expeditions, took ravens with them ; 
when doubtful which way to steer for land they let the birds loose and followed 
their flight. 



Copy of a map of the worid as known in 1436. The 
faint, dotted outline of the coast of Africa shows 
the unexplored portion. The monsters represent 
the terrors of unknown regions. 



850-1000.] THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. 3 



accustomed to make long voyages in rudely built vessels not 
larger than fishing-smacks. 

About the year 850 a famous sea-rover of the Northmen 
was caught in a violent tempest and driven upon the coast of 
Iceland. Not long after, an expedition was sent and a settle- 
ment made in the new land. In the course of the next hundred 
years the Northmen pushed their light barks farther and 
farther west, until at last they reached the bleak shores of 
Greenland. There, also, they established a colony. But even 
that distant and dreary outpost was not to be the utmost 
limit of their wanderings. The coast of North America had 
already been seen by these adventurous explorers. In the 
year 1000 Leif, the son of Eric the Red, reached that coast, 
and was henceforth called "Leif the Lucky." 

The place where he and his companions landed, and where 
they later spent one or more winters, cannot be exactly deter- 
mined. According to their account they found wild grapes 
growing in such abundance that they named the region Vin- 
land. 1 This may have been, as many have supposed, a part of 
Massachusetts or Rhode Island, 2 or it may have been as far 
north as Labrador. There are no ruins or other remains to 
mark their temporary settlement on the American coast, 
although in Greenland the walls of a stone church and of 
other buildings show where they had a colony. 

3. The Discovery of America by the Northmen had no Practi- 
cal Result. — But however interesting it may be to us to know 
that the Northmen visited our shores as early as the year 
1000, still their discovery led to nothing. The reasons are 

1 In the account of their return from Vinland to Greenland the records of the 
Northmen say : u And when spring came the}' got ready and sailed off ; and Leif gave 
a name to the land after its sort, and called it Vinland (Vineland). They sailed 
then . . . until they saw Greenland . . . after that, Leif was called ; Leif the Lucky.' " 

2 It was thought at one time that the ancient round stone tower at Newport, 
commonly called the " Old Stone Mill." was the work of the Northmen ; but that 
idea is now pretty generally abandoned, and the old mill is believed to have been 
built by Governor Benedict Arnold of Rhode Island, in 1676-7. 



4 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1477. 



readily found. First, they were then only partly civilized, and 
appear to have made no efforts to establish a permanent settle- 
ment here. Next, their colony in Greenland perished after a 
while, and a great change for the worse also took place in Ice- 
land. In the time of Columbus the inhabitants of that island 
had probably little, if any, communication or trade with any 
part of the world except Bristol, England. The energy and 
enterprise for which these men of the north had once been 
famous had in great measure died out. They no longer engaged 
in daring adventures. 

There is a strong probability that Columbus went to Ice- 
land in 1477, 1 but there is little likelihood that he got any 
information while there of a land farther west. Had he 
done so, he certainly would have mentioned the fact when 
he came to solicit help for his great voyage of discovery a 
number of years later. But though he urges every argument 
in favor of his enterprise, he does not say that the people of 
Iceland even hinted to him that such a country as Vinland 
existed. The truth seems to be that the descendants of 
" Leif the Lucky " and his brave comrades had lost all 
remembrance of any traditions or records of that far-off 
shore where their forefathers declared that they had feasted 
on American wild grapes. 

More than this, we have no evidence that the nations of 
Europe knew anything of such a country as Leif describes. 
It is therefore quite safe to say that when Columbus sailed, in 
1492, one half the world did not so much as suspect the exist- 
ence of the other half. 

4. What Land Columbus wished to reach ; Marco Polo's Travels; 
First Motive of Columbus. — What, then, let us ask, first in- 
duced Columbus to undertake a voyage that no other man of 

1 " In the year 1477, in February, I navigated one hundred leagues beyond 
Thule [Thule is generally thought to have been Iceland], . . . The English, prin- 
cipally those of Bristol, go with their merchandise to this island, which is as large as 
England. When I was there, the seaNvas not frozen." — Letter of Columbus. 



.1477-1492.] THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. 5 



that age dared embark upon ? It was not the expectation of 
finding a new or fourth continent ; for he probably believed as 
firmly as any one of his day that the three continents of 
Europe, Asia, and Africa, with some islands, comprised all the 
land in existence. His object was not to reveal a new world 
beyond the Atlantic, but simply to reach the Indies by sailing 
to the westward. 

The interest he felt was partly awakened by a noted book, 
published many years before, and it was partly the result of 
the condition of the India trade at the time when Columbus 
matured his enterprise. 

Let us see what that book was. In the thirteenth century 
( 1 260-1 295 )/ Marco Polo, who, like Columbus, was a native 
of Italy, made an overland journey to Central Asia and the far 
East. He spent nearly thirty years there, and on his return 
wrote a volume of travels of great value. In that remarkable 
work he described India and China, and spoke of the island 
of Cipango or Japan, whose existence he then first made 
known to Europe. Polo gave the best account of the coun- 
tries he visited which had been published since Alexander 
the Great penetrated India (327 B.C.), and he spoke par- 
ticularly of the wealth and pow T er of the Great Khan, or 
Emperor of China, in whose service he had spent upwards 
of seventeen years. 2 

This book made a deep impression on the mind of Colum- 
bus, and later he constructed a map of the world, based in 
large measure on the geographical discoveries made by Polo. 
He burned with a desire to visit those marvellous Eastern 
lands, with which all intercourse, except that of commerce, 
had long practically ceased. His purpose, as he himself re- 

1 Dates so enclosed need not be committed to memory. 

2 An eminent authority (M. Walckenaer) says, " When in the long series of ages 
we search for three men who, by the grandeur and influence of their discoveries, 
have contributed most to the progress of geography . . . the modest name of the 
Venetian traveller [Marco Polo] presents itself in the same line with the names of 
Alexander the Great and Christopher Columbus." 



6 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1477-1492. 



peatedly tells us, was, first of all, that of a missionary, 1 — he 
hoped to convert the Khan and his people to Christianity. 
If they rejected the religion he offered them, then, according 
to the ideas of the time, any Christian king might seize their 
possessions, and make slaves of them. 

Such was one great object with Columbus in going to the 
Indies, as all Eastern Asia was then called. Throughout his 
career he never lost sight of this purpose. In fact, he came 
at length to believe that the Most High had specially chosen 
him as his instrument to carry the light of faith into the king- 
doms of Oriental paganism. That motive, whether wise or not, 
inspired the great Genoese navigator with a certain enthusiasm 
and dignity of character which mark his course throughout. 
His life was not always blameless, — he shared many of the 
errors of his time, — but it was always noble. 

5. The Second Motive of Columbus; Trade with the Indies. — 

But the question naturally arises, if Columbus wished to reach 
the Indies, why did he not follow in the footsteps of his prede- 
cessor Polo, and go overland to that country ? 

The answer to that inquiry is found in the second motive 
which actuated him ; that was his desire to open up direct 
commercial intercourse with the East, not by land, but by the 
ocean. Columbus was, as we have seen, a sailor ; and for this 
reason the condition of trade had a great influence on his plans. 

Europe had at all times depended on the Indies for much of 
its supply of silks, cashmeres, and muslins, as well as for dye- 
woods, perfumes, spices, precious stones, and pearls. How- 
large that trade was in the fifteenth century we cannot say 
with precision, but it must have been considerable. The 
control of it was then practically in the hands of the two 
rival Italian ports of Venice and Genoa. They held such 
complete possession of this lucrative traffic that it was said 

1 In this respect Columbus may be compared with the celebrated modern mission- 
ary and explorer, David Livingstone, who did so much, a number of years since, toward 
opening up the " Dark Continent " of Africa, not only to religion, but to trade. 



THE WORLD AS KNOWN SHORTLY BEFORE AND SHORTLY AFTER THE 
SAILING OF COLUMBUS. 



Light arrows show voyages made up to 1492 ; (light track, Da Gama's voyage, 1497). 
Dark arrows, voyages of Columbus and Cabot. 

White crosses, countries of which something was known before 1492. 

White area, including western coast of Africa, the world as known shortly before the sail- 
ing of Columbus. 



1453.] THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. 



7 



that no one in Western Europe could season a dish of meat 
or spice a cup of wine, without adding something to the 
profits of one of those cities. 

Each had a route of its own. Genoa took the northern 
one, and sent her ships by way of Constantinople to the ports 
of the Black Sea. There they loaded with goods brought 
either across from the Caspian Sea or up the valley of the 
Euphrates and the Tigris from the Persian Gulf — part of 
the way by boats, and part by caravan. 

Venice took the southern route, and conducted her traffic by 
way of Cairo and the Red Sea. This gave her the advantage of 
a nearly all-water line of communication with the East, though 
there were points where the navigation was both difficult and 
dangerous. Trade over these two competing routes had gone 
on for centuries; but in 1453, when Columbus was a lad of 
seventeen, a great change suddenly took place. 

That year the Turks besieged and took Constantinople, which 
before that had been a Greek city. When they got possession 
they refused to allow the Genoese vessels to pass through the 
straits of the Bosphorus into the Black Sea. This completely 
broke up the commerce of Genoa with the East, and henceforth 
Venice had the trade entirely to herself. That result, so dis- 
astrous to Genoa, must have made a decided impression on 
Columbus ; for in future he would see no more ships unload 
their rich cargoes of silks and spices at the wharves of his 
native city. 

6. Attempt of the Portuguese to reach the Indies by a New Route. 

— While these events were happening on the Mediterranean, 
the king of Portugal, anxious to get the control of the Oriental 
trade away from Venice, was doing his utmost to find an all-sea 
route to the treasures of the Indies. His plan was to send out 
successive expeditions to explore the western coast of Africa, in 
the hope of finding a way round that continent into the Indian 
Ocean. But the progress made was very slow. Though they 



8 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1487. 



had already done something, yet it took the cautious mariners 
of that age more than fifty years to creep down the coast — a 
distance of over five thousand miles — to the extreme south- 
ern point. Finally, in 1487, that feat was accomplished by a 
Portuguese captain of the name of Diaz. 1 He, however, had 
such a rough experience that he named the point the Cape 
of Storms. 

It is an interesting and significant fact that Bartholomew 
Columbus, Christopher's younger brother, accompanied Cap- 
tain Diaz in that expedition. The elder Columbus must have 
felt no little interest in the success of the undertaking, since he 
himself was then maturing a scheme for seeking the Indies in 
a different direction. 

When Diaz returned with the news of what he had achieved, 
the Portuguese monarch felt sure that he should accomplish his 
end. To show his confidence in the new route which he fore- 
saw would be opened, he called for Diaz's chart, drew his pen 
through the name Cape of Storms, and in its place wrote in bold 
letters that name full of promise, Cape of Good Hope. 

7. Plan of Columbus for reaching the Indies by sailing West. — 

But Columbus thought that he could improve on the king of 
Portugal's project. He felt certain that there was a shorter 
and better way of reaching the Indies than the track Diaz had 
marked out. The plan of the Genoese sailor was as daring 
as it was original. Instead of sailing east, or south and east, 
he proposed to sail directly west. He had, as he believed, 
three good and solid reasons for such an undertaking: First, 
in common with the best geographers of his day, Columbus 
was convinced that the earth was not flat, as most men supposed, 
but a globe. Secondly, he supposed this globe to be much 
smaller than it is, and the greater part to be land instead of 
water. Thirdly, as he knew nothing, and surmised nothing, 
of the existence of the continent of America or of the Pacific 



1 Diaz (Dee'az). 



1485.] THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. 9 

Ocean, he imagined that the coast of Asia or the Indies was 
directly opposite Spain and the western coast of Europe. 
The entire distance across to Cipango, or Japan, he estimated 
would probably not exceed about four thousand miles. 

His plan was this: he would start from Europe; head his 
ship westward toward Japan, and follow the curve of the globe 
until it brought him to what he sought. To his mind it seemed 
as sure and simple as for a fly to walk round an apple. 

If successful in the expedition, he would have this immense 
advantage : he would enter the Indies directly by the front 
door, instead of reaching them in a roundabout way, and by 
a sort of side-entrance as the Portuguese must. 

We see that this man who understood practical mathematics, 
geography, and navigation, as well as any one of his day, was 
right on the first point, — the shape of the earth, — but utterly 
wrong on the other two. 

Yet, singularly enough, his errors were in one respect a help 
to him. The mistake that he made in regard to distance was 
a most fortunate one. Had Columbus correctly reckoned the 
size of the globe, and the true length of such a voyage, he 
probably would not have sailed, since he would have seen at 
once that the proposed Portuguese route was both far shorter 
and cheaper. Again, could he have imagined or in any way 
foreseen that the American continent lay right across his path, 
that in itself might not then have induced him to start on a 
voyage of discovery, for his object was not to find a new 
country, but a new way to an old one. 

8. Columbus seeks and obtains the Assistance of Spain. — This 
project was not a recent thought of Columbus. He had medi- 
tated on it for many years, during which time he sought to 
get the help first of his native city, then of Portugal, and 
finally of Spain (1485-1486). He met with nothing but 
disappointment. He was regarded as a foolish schemer, and 
the street boys openly mocked him as a lunatic. 



10 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1492. 



At last Columbus, now fast sinking into poverty, received 
permission from the Spanish rulers to lay his plans before a 
committee or council. That body listened to his arguments 
with impatient incredulity. To them such a voyage " appeared 
as extravagant as it would at the present day to launch a bal- 
loon into space in quest of some distant star." 

The council ridiculed the idea that the earth is round like a 
ball. If so, said they, then the rain and snow must fall upward 
on the under side, — the side opposite where we stand, — and 
men there must walk with their heads downward : that would 
be inconvenient, nay more, it would be impossible. Finally, 
they objected that in case the earth could be proved to be a 
globe, that very fact would render such a voyage as Columbus 
proposed a failure. For how, they asked of him, could your 
ships come back when they had once advanced so far west 
as to begin to descend the curve of the earth ? Could they 
turn about and sail up hill to Spain again ? No answer 
that Columbus could make seemed satisfactory to the council. 
After much deliberation and vexatious delays they made their 
report to Ferdinand and Isabella, joint sovereigns of Spain. 
The report stated that the scheme was "vain and imprac- 
ticable, and rested on grounds too weak to merit the support 
of the government." 

Sick at heart, Columbus set out to leave the country, when 
he was recalled. He had a few stanch friends at court who 
believed, with him, that "wherever ships could sail, man might 
venture." Through their influence, and especially through 
the generous encouragement of Queen Isabella, he obtained 
the assistance he required. 1 Thus, chiefly by a woman's 
help, the brave sailor got the power to undertake his daring 
enterprise. It was indeed high time that some one should 
furnish the means if Columbus was to be the leader; for he 

1 The whole amount raised to fit out the expedition was 1,640,000 maravedis, or 
(according to Harrisse's estimate) about £93,000, f which sum the Queen contributed 
over two-thirds. 



1492.] THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. II 



was then a gray-bearded man of fifty-six — an age when not 
many persons, however fond of adventure, care to embark on 
new and perilous expeditions. 

9. Columbus sails. — Columbus had succeeded in getting his 
own terms, — he had received the rank of admiral, he was to be 
governor of all lands that he might discover or acquire, and he 
was to have a tenth of whatever treasure he might find. He 
now pushed forward his preparations for the voyage as rapidly 
as possible. When all was ready, he and his men went to 
church, and implored the blessing of God on their great enter- 
prise. The next day, Friday, August 3, 1492, "half an hour 
before sunrise," as Columbus himself says, he set sail from 
Palos, Spain, with three small vessels, and one hundred and 
twenty men. 1 

Of these vessels, only the largest, the admiral's ship, had an 
entire deck, and even his was probably of not over one hundred 
tons' burden, or about the size of an ordinary coasting schooner. 

He took his route by way of the Canary Islands, because 
Cipango, or Japan, the nearest Asiatic land, was supposed to 
lie in that latitude. 2 At the Canaries he was detained several 
weeks repairing the rudder of one vessel, and altering the sails 
of a second. 

On September 6th, he hoisted anchor, and resolutely set out 
to cross that ocean which no civilized man had ever before 
attempted to pass over. As the last dim outline of the islands 

1 Columbus kept a regular journal of the voyage from the start. In the intro- 
duction to that journal he says, respecting one object he had in view : " In conse- 
quence of the information which I had given to your Highnesses [the king and 
queen of Spain] of the lands of India, and of a prince who is called the Grand 
Khan, which is to say . . . King of Kings . . . therefore your Highnesses . . . deter- 
mined to send me, Christopher Columbus, to the said parts of India to see the said 
prince and the people and lands . . . and to discover the means to be taken for the 
conversion of them to our holy faith ; and ordered that I should not go by land to 
the East, by which it is the custom to go, but by a voyage to the west, by which 
course, unto the present time, we do not know for certain that any one hath passed." 

2 See chart of Columbus, page 12, and compare also the chart of his course, 
page 13. 



12 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1492. 



faded from their sight many of the sailors were completely over- 
come. Some shed tears, as if they "had taken leave of the 
world"; others, unable to restrain their grief, broke out into 
loud and bitter lamentations. 

But Columbus himself had no such fears. He did not feel that 
he was making a leap in the dark. He had carefully calculated 




Correct chart of westward route from Europe to Asia, for comparison with the chart 
of Columbus given above. 



everything and provided for everything. No one understood 
navigation better than he. Here was his equipment: First, he 
had a chart of the globe, made by himself, and based on the 
highest authorities. Next, he had the compass for his guide. 
Finally, he carried with him an improved astrolabe, or instru- 
ment for determining his position by observation of the sun. 

But these were not all. These, in fact, were but the material 
and mechanical means of success. He had the conviction that 



1492.] THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. 1 3 



he was engaged in a Providential work, and that he was certain 
to accomplish it. There are occasions in life when such a faith 
is worth everything to its possessor: this was one. 

We can judge of the strength of his conviction from the fact 
that he carried with him, by his own special request, letters of 
introduction and recommendation from the joint sovereigns of 
Spain to the Grand Khan of China. 



10. The Voyage ; Variation of the Needle ; the Crew are greatly 
Alarmed ; the Winged Guides. — For a time all went well, 
then a new and strange circumstance was noticed. It was 




Route of Columbus, 1492. 



found that the compass no longer pointed toward the North 
Star, but that it varied more and more, as they went on, to 
the west of north. 1 

This astonished Columbus, and greatly alarmed the seamen. 
They began to think that they had now entered a region where 
the ordinary laws of nature were suspended, and that to persist 
in keeping on would be destruction. Columbus pacified their 
fears as best he could. He however would not hear of turning 
back then, though he afterward promised to do so if land was 
not discovered in a few days. 

1 Humboldt remarks that it had probably been noticed before this voyage that 
the magnetic needle varied to the northeast. Now it was found that this variation 
varied ; and that from northeast the needle swung round to the northwest. This 
was the new and startling feature of the situation. 



14 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1492. 



On the 7th of October an event occurred which induced the 
admiral to change his course. He was then sailing due west, 
but that day a flock of land-birds was seen flying to the south- 
west. Alonzo Pinzon, captain of one of the vessels, urged 
Columbus to follow those birds. He refused ; but at length 
yielded to entreaty, and reluctantly turned the prow of his ship 
in the direction of his winged guides. 1 

That seemingly trifling circumstance had important results. 
Had Columbus kept on in his directly westerly course, he 
would have struck the mainland of America at the peninsula 

of Florida. In that case it 
is probable that Spain would 
have planted her first col- 
onies on what is now the 
eastern shore of the United 
States, instead of spending 
her strength, as she did, in 
getting possession of Cuba 
and San Domingo. Such a 
settlement might have 
changed — at least, for a long 
period — the future of this 
country. It might have made 
a second Mexico of the south- 
east, — planting there a 
Spanish population, Spanish 
laws, and the Spanish lan- 
guage. Had that happened, 
— and there is no reason to> 
think it would not, — then 
despotic Spain would have got firm control of a part of the 
new world that to-day belongs to the American Union, and 
such a hold, even if but temporary, certainly would not have 
resulted in our present advantage. 

l See Paragraph 2, note 2, on the Northmen following ravens. 




Columbus watching for Land. 



1492.] THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. 1 5 

ii. Land! San Salvador; the West Indies and the Indians.— 

The result of following the birds was that, five days later, 
Friday, October 12th, at two o'clock in the morning, the cry 
of "Land! Land!" was heard. It proved to be a small island 
of the Bahamas, called by the natives Guanahani. 1 It is now 
thought to be Watling's Island. 2 

When the sun rose, revealing the low sandy shore, —the 
humble threshold of the new world, — Columbus, clad in com- 
plete armor, landed with his men. Kneeling, they kissed the 
soil, and with tears gave thanks to God for having crowned their 
voyage with success. Then, with solemn ceremonies, the admiral 
planted the royal flame-colored banner of Spain, and took pos- 
session of the country for Ferdinand and Isabella. To the island 
he gave the name of San Salvador, or the Holy Redeemer. 

Columbus believed this little island to be part of the Indies. 
Since he had reached it by sailing westward he called the group 
to which it belongs the West Indies. To the natives he nat- 
urally gave the name Indians. However incorrect that desig- 
nation may seem to us, knowing, as we do, that the Indies are 
many thousand miles west of the Bahamas, still that name will 
doubtless cling to that people as long as they continue to exist. 

Columbus never found out his mistake in regard to this 
country. He made three more voyages 3 hither ; but he died 
firmly convinced that America was part of Asia, and that he 
had discovered a short and direct all-sea westward route from 
Europe to the Indies. 

1 Guanahani (Gwa'na-ha'nee). 

2 Cat Island, Turk's Island, and Watling's Island, all in the Bahama group, are 
rivals, each claiming the honor of the first landing of Columbus. The weight of 
evidence seems now to favor the last. 

3 On his first voyage (1492) Columbus discovered the Bahamas and the West 
India Islands, including Cuba and San Domingo or Hayti. On his second voyage 
(autumn of 1493), he discovered the islands of the Caribbean Sea, besides Jamaica 
and Porto Rico. On his third voyage (spring of 1498), he discovered the Island of 
Trinidad, off the coast of Venezuela, South America ; and on the first of August, 
the mainland of that continent, at the mouth of the Orinoco River. On his fourth 
and final voyage (spring of 1502), he explored the coast of Central America and of 
the Isthmus of Panama. He returned to Spain in 1504, where he died in 1506. 



1 6 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1492-1493. 



We see an illustration of the strength of that conviction in 
an incident which happened when he landed at Cuba. 1 He at 
first thought it must be Japan ; but later he came to the con- 
clusion that it was part of the Asiatic mainland, and he com- 
pelled his men to swear that they believed that, if they chose, 
they could go thence, all the way by land, back to Spain. 

It should be distinctly understood that Columbus never, in 
any of his voyages to America, set foot on any part of the 
coast of what is now the United States. 

12. Columbus returns to Spain; his Reception; the Pope's 
Division of the World. — Having lost his own vessel — the 
best one in the fleet — by shipwreck on the coast of Hispan- 
iola 2 or Hayti, the admiral built a fort with her timbers on 
that island. He left a small colony there, and sailed for Spain, 
reaching that country in the spring of 1493, after an absence 
of a little over seven months. 

The reception given him by Ferdinand and Isabella was such 
as the first civilized man who had crossed the Atlantic merited. 
Those who a year before had laughed at him as crazy, now, cap 
in hand, bowed low before him. Yet the only printed account 3 
which appeared describing his wonderful voyage was a copy of 
a letter which he had written to the king and queen. It was 
entitled : — ■ 

"B Xetter of Cbnatopber Columbus, 

(to whom our Age is much indebted) 
respecting the 

Islands of India, beyond the Ganges, 
lately discovered." 4 

A rhymed version of this letter was sung through the streets 
of Genoa. It must have created a stir in that declining city, 

1 Cuba was not discovered to be an island until two years after the death of Columbus. 
2 Hispaniola (His-pan-i-o'lah), or Little Spain. 

3 This was in 1493, about forty years after the invention of printing. 

4 This letter may be found complete in Major's " Select Letters of Columbus " 



1493-1494.] THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. I J 



which, forty years before, when Columbus was a boy, had 
boasted its trade with the East. 1 

One immediate result of this supposed discovery of a western 
route to the Indies was the division of the world by the Pope. 
Spain and Portugal were rivals. Both were eager to get the con- 
trol of Oriental commerce. The Pope had confirmed Portugal 
in the possession of the islands and countries of Africa she had 
discovered. Spain now asked him to confirm her claims to 
countries in the west. The Pope, anxious to keep peace be- 
tween the two nations, granted the petition. Taking a map of 
the world (1493), he drew a perpendicular line from the north 
to the south pole, one hundred li K0RTH 1 g^M 



Columbus. — Meantime Spain was picturing to herself the 
unbounded wealth she would gain through future voyages 
of Columbus. But he failed to find any mines of precious 
metal, and sore was the disappointment. It was said that his 
men brought back no gold, but only a mockery of it in their 
yellow, emaciated faces, discolored by disease. The wealth 

(Hakluyt Society's Publications, London). Extracts from it are given in Higgin- 
son's " American Explorers." In this letter Columbus gives an account of the voyage 
and describes the West India Islands and their inhabitants. 

1 See Paragraph 5. 

2 The reason for drawing the first line one hundred leagues west of the Azores 
appears to have been because at that point the compass pointed exactly north. 
Portugal, however, strenuously objected, and got the line pushed farther west. By 
the final arrangement Portugal obtained Brazil when it was discovered. 



leagues west of the Azores. Later 
(1494) the line was fixed at three 
hundred and seventy leagues west 
of the Cape Verd Islands. 2 Portu- 
gal was to have all lands, not be- 
longing to some Christian prince, 
found east of this line; Spain all 
similar lands west of it. 




13. Disappointment of Spain with 
the newly found " Indies " ; Death of 



Map showing the division of the 
world made in I 494. 



1 8 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1497. 



they found consisted of some hundreds of wretched Indians, 
kidnapped to be sold as slaves in Europe. 

Loud was then the outcry against Columbus. The rabble 
nicknamed him the "Admiral of Mosquito Land." They 
pointed at him as the man who had promised everything, and 
ended by discovering nothing but " a wilderness peopled with 
naked savages." 

Broken in health, broken in heart, the great sailor died in 
Spain, in neglect and poverty. 1 Three years before his death 
he wrote a touching letter 2 to the king and queen, asking for 
help, but none was given. Probably, if Queen Isabella had 
not soon after died, he would have received the assistance he 
so humbly begged. When she passed away, the admiral lost 
his best friend. But though his closing days were pitiful, yet 
none the less the voice that he imagined he once heard in a 
dream spoke truly. 3 He had not found the Indies ; but, as the 
voice seemed to say, he had unlocked " those gates of the 
ocean" which until then had been "fast shut with chains," — 
the chains of ignorance and fear. 

14. John Cabot discovers the Continent of North America. — But 

great as was the merit of Columbus, he was not destined to be 
the first to look on the mainland of America, nor was he to 
give it the name it bears. The discovery of the continent 

1 Columbus died at Valladolid, in 1506. He was buried there, but later his body 
was removed to Seville. In 1536 it was transported to the island of San Domingo. 
After the cession of that island to France by the Spanish the body of Columbus was 
exhumed (as was then supposed), carried to Havana, Cuba, and there deposited in 
the cathedral. These reputed remains were sent back to Spain in December, 1898. 
But there seem to be good reasons for thinking that the true remains of Columbus 
still rest in San Domingo. 

2 " I was twenty-eight years old [these figures are believed to be a mistake] . . . 
when I came into your Highnesses' service, and now I have not a hair upon my head 
that is not gray : my body is infirm, and all that was left to me has been taken away 
and sold. . . . Hitherto I have wept over others ; may Heaven now have mercy upon 
me, and may the earth weep for me ! " — Letter of Columbus, 1503. 

3 See quotation from the letter of Columbus at the beginning of this section, page 
1. It was while he lay sick and in great trouble, on the Isthmus of Panama, that he 
fancied he heard the consoling voice. 



1497.] THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. 1 9 



was reserved for a fellow-countryman. John Cabot, 1 of Venice, 
then residing in Bristol, England. Influenced by what Colum- 
bus had achieved, and encouraged by Henry VII., king of 
England, Cabot set sail westward in the spring of 1497. His 
object was to find a northern passage to the Indies and China, 
in order that he might secure the spice trade to the English 
sovereign. He failed to discover what he sought; but he did 
better, for he saw, what no civilized man had yet beheld, that 
was — the continent. The point where he made the discovery 
was probably in the vicinity of Cape Breton Island, at the 
entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 2 On a map drawn 
by his son Sebastian we read the following inscription : 

" In the year of our Lord i-fgj, John Cabot, a Venetian, and 
his son Sebastian discovered that count?-)' which no one before his 
time had ventured to approach, on the 24th of June, about five 
o'clock in the morning." 3 

Cabot planted the English flag on the coast, and took formal 
possession of the country for the English king. 

The next year Sebastian Cabot made a voyage, 4 and explored 
the coast from Nova Scotia to Cape Hatteras, or perhaps even 
farther south. He likewise asserted the title of Henry VII. to 
the land. 

That king was notoriously fond of money, and knew how to 
hold on to it ; but in this particular case he tried to be generous. 
Such services as those of the Cabots could not go wholly unre- 
warded. He appears to have given the father a small pension. 
Furthermore, in the royal note-book of that monarch's private 

1 Cabot (Cab'ot), and see Note 1. on p. 24. 

2 It is impossible to determine positively where John Cabot first saw land. Dif- 
ferent authorities suppose Labrador, Newfoundland, and Cape Breton Island ; the 
last is now strongly supported by special investigators. 

3 Another map, since discovered in Germany, and now preserved in Paris, bears 
date 1494. Whether this is a mistake for 1497 is matter of discussion. If the date 
is correct, then Cabot sailed three years earlier than has generally been supposed. 

4 The voyage of Columbus in 1492 81 was much talked of," says Cabot. " at the 
court of Henry VII." He adds. " Then increased in my heart a secret flame of 
desire to attempt some notable thing." 



20 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1497-1504. 

expenses we find this significant memorandum, which is sup- 
posed to refer to the first expedition : — 

" ioth August, I4QJ. To him that found the new isle, £10." 1 
Never, perhaps, in the world's history did any sovereign get 
so large a territory for so small an outlay ; for on that voyage 
of Cabot's the English based their claim to this country. 
Nearly three hundred years later, Edmund Burke, the eminent 
British statesman, said in Parliament : " We derive our right 
in America from the discovery of [John] Cabot, 2 who first 
made 3 the northern continent in 1497." 

Thus the continent was found. Let us see, next, how it 
was named. 

15. How the Name America originated. — Two years after John 
Cabot's voyage (1499) another Italian, Amerigo Vespucci, 4 
a native of Florence, but then engaged in business in Spain, 
went out in partial command of an expedition of exploration. 
Following directly in the track of Columbus, and using his 
charts, he reached the northeastern part of the South Ameri- 
can coast, somewhere in what is now Dutch Guiana. In the 
course of the next four years he made two more voyages in 
which he visited Brazil. 5 On his return to Europe he wrote a 
pretty full account of what he had seen, which was published 
soon after (1504). Though it was nothing but a thin pam- 
phlet, yet, from the fact that it was, so far as we know, the 
first printed description of the mainland of the Western Hemi- 
sphere, it naturally brought the name of the writer into notice.. 

At this time there was a German professor of geography 

1 Ten pounds sterling represented, of course, much more than S50 then. Perhaps, 
indeed, it would be safe to call it as much as $700 or S800. Still, even at that rate, 
the king got his money's worth. 

2 Burke says Sebastian Cabot by mistake for John Cabot. 

3 £i Made," here used in the sense of came in sight of, or reached. 

4 Amerigo Vespucci (Ah-ma-ree'go Ves-poofchee) : the name also frequently 
occurs in a Latinized form as Amertcus Vespu'cius. 

5 Brazil had been discovered by Pinzon, one of the companions of Columbus, in 
1499, two years before Vespucci visited that country; and Columbus had reached the 
northeastern coast of South America in his third voyage, 1498. 



1507.] 



THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. 21 



named Waldseemiiller, 1 connected with the college of St. Die, 2 a 
village now included in Eastern France. He had read Vespucci's 
accounts of his voy- 
ages and was partic- 
ularly interested in 
them. 3 

In the year 1507 he 
printed a little book 
in Latin on the col- 
lege press and entitled 

Map showing the Village of St. Die, Eastern France. 

it "An Introduction 

to Geography." It consisted of only a few pages, and might 
easily be rolled up and carried in one's pocket. Small as it 
was, it contained, however, a sentence which was to have a 
lasting influence on the history of this country. That sentence 
was this suggestion made by Waldseemiiller: "And the fourth 
part of the zuorld having been discovered by Amerigo or Aniericus, 
we may call it Amerige, or AMERICA." 

Thus one-half the globe received the name it bears. One 
Italian had found the outposts of the new world, and claimed 
them for Spain; a second had seen the northern mainland, and 
taken possession of it for England; finally, a third, coming. after 
both the others, gave to it, perhaps without his own knowledge 
even, the title it now possesses in every atlas and history. 

1 Waldseemiiller : German pronunciation nearly Valt'za-miller. 

2 St. Die (San De-ay'). 

3 Vespucci's voyages : according to what purports to be his own account, Amerigo 
Vespucci made his first voyage in the spring of 1497, and saw on June 6th 
of that year " a coast which," he says, " we thought to be that of a continent." If that 
coast was the continent, he discovered the mainland of America eighteen days before 
John Cabot did (June 24, 1497) ; and more than a year before Columbus saw it, on 
his third voyage (Aug. 1, 1498). In 1499 Vespucci, following in the track of Colum- 
bus, visited the northeastern coast of South America, part of which had been seen 
and described by the great navigator the previous year. Later, Vespucci visited 
Brazil. Recent authorities on American history generally believe that Vespucci did 
not make his first voyage until 1499, and that, therefore, John Cabot was the true dis- 
coverer of the continent of America. (See Winsor (" Narrative and Critical History 
of America"). Bancroft (revised edition, 1883), and Bryant.) 




22 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1507. 



No man that ever lived before or since has such a monument 
as Amerigo Vespucci ; for a name derived from his is written 
across the map of two entire continents. If he deserved it, it 
is right he should have the honor; but most historians think 
he did not deserve it; that, in fact, he was no true discoverer, 
but only followed after those who were. In that case he has 
received by chance fame which he not only did not fairly earn, 
but which it may be he did not either seek or desire. 



16. How America finally came to be considered a New and Distinct 
Continent. — But even after America was named the idea that it 
was a distinct and separate division of the globe was not gen- 




Map of I 5 I 5, showing what some geographers then supposed North America to be. This 
is one of the earliest maps on which the name America occurs. It will be 
noticed that at that time it was confined to South America. 



erally accepted. Some, indeed, thought that South America 
was a great island or southern continent (like Australia) ; but 
the majority believed with Columbus that it was simply an im- 
mense peninsula projecting from Southeastern Asia. People, 



1519-1521.] THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. 23 

indeed, spoke of the "New World," but all that they usually 
meant by that expression was newly discovered lands. 

The real character of America was first found out by Magel- 
lan, 1 when, sailing to the southwest (1519-1521), through the 
straits since known by his name, he passed round South 
America into that great ocean which he called the . Pacific. 
Coasting up north for some distance, he ended by going across 
the newly discovered ocean of the west, and one ship of his 
expedition sailed entirely round the globe. 2 Then men's eyes 
were opened to the truth. Then they saw that America, 
instead of being a part of the old world, was in all probability 
an immense, independent continent, a real new world. 

Was that discovery hailed with delight ? Not at all. Europe 
was still bent on finding "that hidden secret of nature," a direct 
passage to Asia, and there stood America barring all progress. 
It is true that when the Spaniards found gold and silver in 
Mexico and Peru, they became reconciled in a measure to their 
disappointment. Still, for more than a hundred years after 
Columbus, most of the explorers spent their efforts not so 
much in seeking to find out what was in the new country, as 
in trying to hit on some passage through it or round it which 
should be shorter and better than that which Magellan had 
sailed through. 

17. Summary. — In 1492 Columbus, while attemptingto open 
up a direct western all-sea route to Asia, accidentally discovered 
the West India Islands. He had no true idea of the magnitude 
of his discovery; but supposed that land, and all that which 
he afterward saw, to be part of Asia. His great merit is that 
he, first of civilized men, dared to cross the unknown sea of 
the Atlantic. The glory of that bold exploit will always be his. 

1 Magellan (Ma-gel'lan). 

2 Magellan himself was killed on an island of the East Indies ; but one of his cap- 
tains succeeded in completing the voyage. Magellan's lieutenant received a coat of 
arms from the king of Spain, on which a globe was represented with the motto : " You 
first sailed round me? 



24 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1497-1521. 



John Cabot, a Venetian, discovered the American contine?it 
in 1497. 

The voyages of Amerigo Vespucci, who, like Cabot, was a 
fellow-countryman of Columbus, 1 suggested the name America. 
Last of all, Magellan's expedition round the world in 1519-1521 
proved the earth to be a globe, and showed that America 
was" in all probability a distinct continent, and not a part 
of Asia. 2 

1 Columbus, Cabot, and Vespucci were fellow-countrymen in the sense that all of 
them, though citizens of different Italian republics, were natives of Italy. 

2 Books for Reference : The authorities for this and all following sections will 
be found in the List of Books at the end of this work. 



1 



II. 



The discovery of America was " the great event which gave a new world 
not only to Spain, but to civilized man." — Charlies Sumner. 



ATTEMPTS AT EXPLORING AND COLONIZING 
AMERICA. 

THE COUNTRY. — THE NATIVES. — EFFECTS OF THE DISCOVERY OF 
AMERICA ON EUROPE. (1509-1600.) 

18. Ponce de Leon's 1 Expedition; Discovery of Florida. — In 

1509 Diego 2 Columbus, son of Christopher Columbus, was 
appointed governor of San Domingo. Not long afterward he 
despatched a force to Cuba which conquered that island. 

In the spring of 15 13 Ponce de Leon, who had been removed 
by the king of Spain from the governorship of the island of 
Porto RicO, determined to start on an exploring expedition to 
the northward. De Leon was getting to be old, but the con- 
quest of Cuba stirred his blood, and he resolved to accom- 
plish something of equal note. He had heard marvellous stories 
from the Indians of a land not very far distant which was said 
to possess two things he coveted, — gold, and a fountain which 
could make the old young again. De Leon readily obtained a 
royal charter 3 from Spain, which gave him power to go in search 
of that land of promise, and when found, to hold it as governor 
for life. The last privilege meant much in the eyes of the 

1 Ponce de Leon (Pon'tha daLaon', Spanish pronunciation). 

2 Diego (De-a'go, Spanish pronunciation). 

3 Charter : a written grant made by the king or head of a government, conferring 
certain rights and privileges. 

25 ' 



26 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1513. 



veteran adventurer; for if he could once bathe in the waters 
of the miraculous fountain, and get back his youth, he felt 
sure of a long term of office. With this tempting prospect of 
renewed energies and of a governorship lasting for many 
years, De Leon set sail. 

After cruising about among the Bahama Islands for several 
weeks he struck the mainland of North America. It was Easter 
Sunday, 1 a day which the Spaniards call Pascua 2 Florida, or 
Flowery Easter. Shortly after, De Leon landed at a point 
between where St. Augustine now stands and the St. John's 
River. 3 There he planted the cross, raised the Spanish flag, 
and in commemoration of the day when he had first seen the 
coast, he named the country Florida. 4 Winter is almost un- 
known in that climate, and the dense foliage and profusion of 
bright flowers fully justified the name. 

De Leon failed to discover gold. Worse still, he found no 
magical fountain that could make a man approaching three- 
score a man of twenty. Disappointed in what he most cared 
for, he set sail for Porto Rico. A number of years later he 
went back to Florida to colonize the country. He did not 
succeed; for an arrow shot by an Indian inflicted a wound 
which ended his days. Thus the old man found death lurk- 
ing for him in that "Land of Flowers," where he had hoped 
to get for himself a new lease of life. 

19. Balboa discovers a Southern Ocean. — In the autumn of the 
year when De Leon first saw Florida (15 13), Balboa, 5 a fellow- 
countryman, undertook an exploring expedition on the Isthmus 
of Panama. 6 His object was to find a great body of water 

1 Easter Sunday, and not Palm Sunday, as is sometimes stated. 

2 Pascua (Pas'koo-ah) : meaning Easter. 3 See Map, page 53. 

4 The name was not restricted to the peninsula now so called, but extended over 
a vast region beyond. 

5 Vasco Nunez de Balboa, commonly called Balboa (Bal-bo'ah). 

6 See Map, page 35. Balboa crossed the isthmus (then called the Isthmus of 
Darien), about 150 miles southeast of Aspinwall, from a point opposite the Bay 
of San Miguel to that bay (Lat. 8° 50'). 



1513.] DISCOVERY OF THE PACIFIC. 2*J 

which the natives told him could be seen toward the south 
from the top of the mountains. The way to the mountains 
was through a country so rough and so covered with dense 
forest filled with underbrush that the Spaniards did well when 
they made seven or eight miles a day. At last, after terrible 
hardships, Balboa reached the summit of the ridge. Looking 
down, he beheld that magnificent expanse of water which 
Magellan, seven years later, sailed across on his way round 
the world. 1 Such a sight was worth all it cost. 

A number of days afterwards, Balboa, struggling over rocks, 
wading streams, and cutting his way through tangled vines, 
succeeded in getting to the shore. 

Drawing his sword with one hand, and bearing a banner in 
the other, he marched out knee-deep into the smooth sea, and 
took possession of it and of all lands bordering on it for the 
sovereigns of Spain. Waving his sword, he said, "I am ready 
to defend" their claim "as long as the world endures, and until 
the final day of judgment of all mankind." He named that 
ocean the South Sea; 2 but Magellan 3 later named it the Pacific. 

Six years later the Spanish general, Cortez, 4 landed in 
Mexico, conquered that country, and thus established the 
power of Spain on the Pacific slope of the North American 
continent. 

20. French Explorations ; Montreal. — Up to this time France 
had obtained no part of the new world. But the king of that 
country did not intend to let the other powers of Europe get it 
all. The Pope had, as we have seen, 5 granted the new lands to 
rival nations; but that had no effect on Francis I., who then 
ruled France. "Show me," said he to the sovereigns of those 
nations, " that clause in the will of * Father Adam ' which 
divides the earth between the Spanish and the Portuguese, 
and excludes the French." "Father Adam's" will was not 



1 See Paragraph 16. 2 Because he first saw it to the south of him. 

3 Magellan : see page 23. 4 Cortez (Cortez). 5 See Paragraph 12. 



28 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1528-1535. 

produced ; the consequence was that the king — so the French 
say — sent out an expedition 1 to obtain his share of America. 

But we cannot be sure that France accomplished anything 
in this way before 1535. That year Cartier, 2 a French naviga- 
tor, discovered a great river in the northern part of America, 
to which he gave the name of St. Lawrence. Ascending the 
stream, he came to an island where there was a little Indian 
village. Landing, he climbed the lofty hill behind it. He was 
so delighted with the grand view that he called the height 
Montreal, or Royal Mountain. 

21. New Attempts of the Spaniards to Conquer Florida ; Coronado. 

— Meanwhile the Spaniards, under Narvaez, 3 made another 
attempt (1528) on Florida. The undertaking failed. The 
disheartened explorers built some, boats and crept along the 
shore of the Gulf of Mexico, toward the west. After cruising 
in this way for more than five weeks, Cabeza De Vaca, 4 an 
officer of the expedition, discovered one of the mouths of the 
Mississippi. Narvaez, the commander of the little fleet, soon 
after parted company with Cabeza, and was lost. About a 
week later, Cabeza himself was shipwrecked, probably on the 
coast of Texas. He was captured by the Indians. After a 
long captivity, he and three of his companions managed to 
escape. They plunged into the wilderness, and at length, 
after nearly two years of wandering, reached a Spanish settle- 
ment on the western coast of Mexico. 5 

They were the first white men that had ever crossed so 
large a portion of the continent. They had only journeyed 

1 This was the expedition said to have been undertaken by Verrazano in 1524. 
He states that he landed in the vicinity of Cape Fear, North Carolina; then sailed 
about 150 miles southward along the coast, and then, turning north, sailed to what 
is now New York Bay, afterward cruising along the coast of New England. 

2 Cartier (Kar-te-ay', French pronunciation) : he made his first expedition in 1.534, 
to Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 

3 Narvaez (Nar-vah'eth, Spanish pronunciation). 

4 Cabeza De Vaca (Kah-ba'thah Day Vah'kah, Spanish pronunciation). 

5 Compostela, twenty miles from the Pacific. Lat. 21 io'. From that place they 
went to the city of Mexico. See Map of America, page 35. 



1539-1540.] 



DE SOTO S EXPEDITION. 



2 9 



from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific, but they probably 
had a clearer idea of the actual width of that part of the new 
world than any one else in it ; for they literally knew every 
foot of the way. 

De Vaca brought reports of rich cities in the north. Coro- 
nado, 1 a Spanish governor in Mexico, set out to find them ( 1 540 ) . 
He discovered the Great Canyon of the Colorado and the 
Indian stone 2 cities of New Mexico ; he then pushed east- 
ward, and may have reached what is now Kansas. Later the 
Spaniards made permanent settlements in the southwest. 

22. De Soto's Expedition. — The next one to undertake the 
conquest of Florida was Ferdinando de Soto, 3 a Spaniard, as 




greedy of gold as he was cruel, and as daring as he was greedy. 
He sailed from Cuba in the spring of 1539, with a force of about 
six hundred picked men and over two hundred horses. It was 
"a roving company of gallant freebooters," in search of fortune. 
De Soto had provided bloodhounds and chains to hunt and 
enslave the Indians ; finally, he had ordered a drove of hogs 

1 Coronado (Ko-ro-na'do) . 2 And sun-dried brick. 3 jj e Soto (Da Sd'to). 



30 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1539-1542. 



to be taken along, in order that his men might be sure of an. 
ample supply of fresh meat. 

The expedition landed at Tampa Bay, 1 and began its march 
of exploration, of robbery, and of murder. The soldiers seized 
the natives, chained them in couples so that they might not 
escape, and forced them to carry their baggage and pound their 
corn. 2 The chief of each tribe through whose country they 
passed was compelled to serve as a guide until they reached 
the next tribe. If an Indian refused to be a slave or a beast 
of burden for these insolent Spaniards, his fate was pitiful. 
They set him up as a target, and riddled his body with bul- 
lets ; or they chopped off his hands, and then sent him home 
to exhibit the useless, bleeding stumps to his family. 

For two years this march went on. During that time De Soto 
and his men travelled upwards of fifteen hundred miles through 
what are now the States of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and 
Mississippi. They found no gold worth mentioning ; but, in 
its stead, hunger, suffering, and death. They deserved what 
they found. 

In the spring of 1541 the Spaniards, worn out, sick, dis- 
gusted, emerged from the forest on the banks of the Missis- 
sippi. 3 Cabeza 4 had seen one of the mouths of the river, but 
De Soto was probably the first civilized man that ever looked 
on the main body of that mighty stream which rolls for nearly 
three thousand miles through the heart of the continent, and, 
with its tributaries, has a total navigable length of over 
fifteen thousand miles. 5 

The river at that point is so wide that a person standing on 
the bank can just see a man standing on the opposite side. 
Here the Spaniards crossed. They made a long circuit of 

1 See Map, page 29. 2 Corn : it was pounded in a mortar. 

3 Probably at or near a place now called De Soto Front, De Soto County; in 
the northwestern corner of the State of Mississippi. 

4 Cabeza De Vaca: see Paragraph 21. 

5 This is the lowest estimate; the highest is from 35,000 to 40,000 miles! See 
" Encyclopaedia Britannica." 



1542-1562.] 



HUGUENOTS ESTABLISH COLONIES. 



31 



many months' march, getting no treasure, but meeting, as they 
declared, "Indians as fierce as mad dogs." In May, 1542, 
they came back to the great river at that point in Louisiana 
where the Red River unites with it. 

This was to be the end of De Soto's career. There he died, 
and was secretly buried at midnight in the muddy waters of the 
Mississippi. He had made the Indians believe that he was 
not a human being, but a "child of the sun," and that death 
could not touch him. When the chief found that he had 
mysteriously disappeared, he asked where he was. The Span- 
iards replied that their captain had gone on a journey to 
heaven ; but that he would soon return. What the chief said 
we are not told ; but he doubtless hoped that if De Soto had 
gone there, that there he would stay. 

The survivors at length reached the Spanish settlements in 
Mexico. Only about half of those that had landed in Florida 
were alive ; they were a miserable band, half-naked, half-starved, 
looking worse than the savages they had gone out to subdue. 

23. Attempts of the Huguenots 1 to establish Colonies. — For 

twenty years after De Soto's death Florida, with the adjacent 
country, was left to the undisturbed possession of the Indians. 
Then, in 1562, Jean Ribaut, 2 taking out a small number of 
Huguenots, attempted to plant a colony at what is now Port 
Royal, South Carolina. 3 After they had got established Ribaut 
went back to France. 

The settlers numbered less than thirty. That handful of men, 
shut up in a log fort on the Atlantic coast, represented the first 
efforts of Admiral Coligny 4 to establish a great Protestant com- 
monwealth in America. But the Huguenots found the wilder- 
ness lonesome; at length homesickness made it intolerable. 

1 Huguenots (Hu'ge-nots, g hard) : a name given to the early French Protestants. 
For a full account of them, see " The Leading Facts of French History," in this series. 

2 Jean Ribaut (Zhon Re-boh', French pronunciation). 3 See Map, page 53. 

4 Coligny (Ko-leen-ye', French pronunciation) : he was the champion of the 
French Protestants. 



32 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1564-1565. 



They set to work, cut down trees, constructed a rude vessel, 
took their shirts and bedding to make sails and rigging, and 
started for France. On the way they were picked up by a 
passing ship, and taken to England. Without that chance 
help they would probably have perished. 

The next year (1564) a second expedition was sent out under 
the leadership of Laudonniere. 1 This time the French landed 
at the St. John's River in Florida, where they built a fort. 
Later, Jean Ribaut arrived with re-enforcements, determined, 
it would seem, to hold the peninsula against the Spaniards. 

24. Menendez 2 destroys the Huguenot Settlement. — The king of 
Spain had heard of the new settlement, and resolved to break 
it up. Pedro Menendez, an officer of the royal navy, was com- 
missioned to drive out the intruders from territory which the 
Spanish monarch claimed by right, first, of the discovery of 
America by Columbus, 3 and next, of that of Florida by De Leon. 4 

Menendez started with his fleet in the summer of 1565, and 
found the French at the mouth of the St. John's River ; but after 
some manoeuvring deferred the attack for that day. He accord- 
ingly set sail, and, proceeding southward down the coast about 
twenty miles, to a point where he had previously landed, there 
he built a fort at a place which he named St. Augustine. 

Meanwhile Jean Ribaut, leaving part of his men in their fort 
on the St. John's River, set sail with the rest to attack the 
Spaniards. A tempest came up, and they were wrecked. As 
soon as Menendez had made his preparations, he advanced to 
the St. John's, surprised the French garrison, and massacred 
all but the women and the children. 

1 Laudonniere (Lo-don-yair', French pronunciation). 

2 Menendez (Ma-nen'deth, Spanish pronunciation). 

3 " The nations of Europe adopted the principle that the discovery of any part 
of America gave title to the government by whose subjects, or by whose authority, 
it was made, as against all European Governments. This title was to be consum- 
mated by possession." — Bouvier's Law Dictionary, " Discovery." It will be seen 
from this that the Spanish title to Florida was good, but not complete, if by "pos- 
session " the actual settlement and holding of the country was meant. 

4 See Paragraph :8, 



1565.] 



DESTRUCTION OF THE SETTLEMENT. 



33 



Shortly after his return, the Indians reported that some of the 
shipwrecked Frenchmen were on the beach not far off. Menen- 
dez soon found them. They were exhausted and practically 
helpless. They surrendered and were murdered. Next came 
the news that Jean Ribaut himself, with a large number of 
men who had been wrecked in like manner, was a few miles 
away. 1 When Menendez came up to the French, Ribaut with 
a hundred and fifty of his followers surrendered. The rest, 
who numbered two hundred, escaped in the night. They were 
eventually taken, and made slaves for life. Out of those who 
had surrendered with Ribaut five were for some reason spared. 
The hands of the others — a hundred and forty-six in all — 
were tied behind them ; then they were marched to St. Augus- 
tine, or its vicinity, and deliberately massacred. Thus the 
foundation of the oldest town in the United States (1565) may 
be said to have been laid in blood. 

25. Revenge by De Gourgues. 2 — The king of France treated 
the affair with indifference ; but a French Catholic named De 
Gourgues vowed vengeance on the murderers of his country- 
men. He fitted out an expedition at his own expense and sailed 
for Florida. Reaching the St. John's River, he surprised and 
captured the Spanish garrison that Menendez had left there 
when he took the French fort. Having bound the prisoners, he 
hung them. Over their heads he placed a pine board on which 
these words were burned with a hot iron : " I do this not as to 
Spaniards ; but as to assassins." Then De Gourgues, not hav- 
ing sufficient force to attack the Spaniards at St. Augustine, set 
sail for France. The French never made a second attempt to 
colonize Florida, and the Spaniards were left in full possession. 

26. English Exploration: Frobisher : Davis. — Since the voy- 
ages of the Cabots (1 497-1 498) the English had been occu- 
pied with other matters, and hence sent out no more exploring 

* They appear to have been on Anastasia Island, about five miles from St. 
Augustine. 2 De Gourgues (Deh Goorg, g hard ; French pronunciation). 



34 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1576. 



expeditions to the west. 1 But in 1576, nearly eighty years 
after the English flag had been planted on the North Ameri- 
can continent, 2 Sir Martin Frobisher set out to see if he could 
not discover a northwestern passage to Asia. His object was 
to reach the Indies, and secure part of the trade for England; 
for since the Portuguese had opened up a route to that country 
by way of the Cape of Good Hope, 3 they held the control of 
that commerce. 

Frobisher crossed the Atlantic and cruised about in the seas 
and straits north of North America, but accomplished nothing. 
Among the curiosities he carried back was a black stone. When 
examined in London this was said to have gold in it. The story 
soon got into circulation that the lucky captain had actually 
found the spot in those frozen regions of the north where King 
Solomon dug the gold for his temple in Jerusalem! A stock 
company was formed, and Frobisher went out and brought 
back several shiploads of black stones. What became of them 
does not appear. It was a subject the stockholders preferred 
not to talk about. That was the last heard of " Solomon's 
mines"; and a few years later we find Frobisher's wife beg- 
ging help of the government, and calling herself "the most 
miserable poor woman in the world." These expeditions were 
followed by a persistent attempt on the part of Captain John 
Davis to push his way through the same seas. He, like Fro- 
bisher, left his name on the map of that desolate region, but 
that was all. 4 

27. Sir Humphrey Gilbert's Expedition; Drake's Voyage round 
the World. — The next two expeditions by the English were of 

1 See " The Leading Facts of English History," in this series. 

2 See Paragraph 14. 

3 Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese navigator (see Map, page 12), succeeded in doub- 
ling the Cape of Good Hope in 1497. He reached Calicut on the Malabar coast of 
India in 1498, and at a later period established a trading post there. ;The Portuguese 
thus became " the sole masters and dispensers of the treasure of the East," and held 
control of India for over a century. 

4 The Map on page 34 is interesting as showing how little was then really known 
of the North American continent. By examining it, it will be seen that the upper 



1577-1583.] 



raleigh's expedition. 



35 



a different character. In 1578 Sir Humphrey Gilbert, half- 
brother to Sir Walter Raleigh, of whom we shall presently 
speak, obtained a charter from Queen Elizabeth granting him 
any new lands he might discover in America or the west. Gil- 
bert started the next year, with his little fleet ; but one ship 
was lost, and he was compelled to turn back. In 1583 he 
made a second attempt, and landed on Newfoundland, of 
which he took possession for the queen. Not long after, his 
largest ship was wrecked. But two vessels of the fleet were 
now left ; and Gilbert started in the smaller of them, a tiny 
craft of only ten tons, on his homeward voyage. The weather 
was tempestuous, and the captain of the larger vessel begged 
Gilbert to go in the ship with him ; but he would not forsake 
his crew. "We are as near to heaven by sea as by land," said 
he. That was the last heard of him ; that night his little vessel 
was swallowed up by the waves. 

Before Gilbert set out on his ill-fated voyage Sir Francis 
Drake had sailed (1577) on a piratical expedition against the 
Spaniards and their settlements in South America. He passed 
through Magellan's Strait, entered the Pacific, and made havoc 
as he went along. He kept on northward until he reached 
what is now the coast of Oregon. 1 He hoped, in this part of 
his voyage, to find a passage opening through to the Atlantic 
which might be used for trade with the Indies. He landed at 
several points, and refitted his ships at a place now called 
Drake's Bay, about thirty miles north of San Francisco. The 
Spaniards, who had been there before him, had named the 
country California. 2 Drake took possession of the whole 
coast, and gave it the name of New Albion. 3 He then 

part was supposed to be very narrow, from north to south, with a broad channel 
through to the Pacific ; for Frobisher Strait and Davis Strait, see Map, page 36. 

1 He reached latitude 43 , in Southern Oregon; or, as some accounts say, 48 . 

2 California : a name probably derived from a Spanish romance of 15 10, in which 
a fabulous island rich in gold and precious stones is so called. 

3 England is called Albion, a name once supposed to mean the Country of the 
White Cliffs. Drake saw a part of the shore of the Pacific coast of America, which, 
perhaps, reminded him of the chalk cliffs of his native land. 



36 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1584-1585. 



crossed the Pacific, and returned to England by way of the 
Cape of Good Hope, 1 having, as it was said then, "ploughed 
a furrow round the world." He was the first Englishman who 
circumnavigated the globe (1577-1579)- 

28. Walter Raleigh's Exploring Expedition to Virginia. — In 

1584 Walter Raleigh, 2 a favorite of Queen Elizabeth, received 
a charter from her granting him the right to explore and set- 
tle the eastern coast of America. That charter made Raleigh 
governor, with full power to enact laws for any colony he might 
establish; but it expressly said that the settlers were to enjoy 
all the political and religious rights and privileges which they 
had in England. 

Raleigh was one of the few men of that day who believed 
that the northern part of the New World was worth settling. 
Most of the expeditions, as we have seen, had for their object 
to find a way through or round the continent to Asia ; but 
Raleigh thought that perhaps in the end America might prove 
to be quite as profitable as the Indies. 

He- sent out two ships, in the summer of 1584, to explore. 3 
The English reached Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is 
now North Carolina. There they landed, and were hospitably 
entertained by the Indians. The explorers were delighted with 
the " native Americans," and spent several weeks, as they said, 
" eating and drinking very merrily " with the red men. When 
the explorers returned to England, the queen was so highly 
pleased with their description of the " Good Land " and the 
good people in it, that she named it Virginia, in honor of her 
own maiden life, and knighted the fortunate Raleigh, who now 
became Sir Walter. 

29. Sir Walter Raleigh's Colony; the New " Root " and the New 
Weed. — In the summer of 1585 Raleigh sent out a hundred 

1 See Map on page 36, and. also Map on page 12. 

2 Raleigh (Raw'le, but usually pronounced Ral'ly in England). 

3 Under the command of Captains Amidas and Barlow. 



o o 




C 



#/ 

11 



A 



N 



MAP SHOWING THE EARLY VOYAGES TO AMERICA 
WITH THE FIRST SETTLEMENTS. 

The heavy black coast line indicates what parts of 
the two continents were then known. 



1585-1587.] 



CROATOAN. 



37 



and eight emigrants under Ralph Lane, who was to act as 
deputy governor. The new colony established itself on Roa- 
noke Island. It certainly did not lack room ; for Virginia, as 
held by Sir Walter's charter, extended from the southern bound- 
ary of what is now North Carolina to beyond Halifax. 1 West- 
ward it reached six hundred miles, or nearly to the Mississippi. 

But the colonists had not been well chosen. They would not 
work. Lane said, " they had little understanding, less discre- 
tion, and more tongue than was needful." After less than a 
year's trial of the country the emigrants returned to England. 
Still the experiment had not been an utter failure, for they 
carried back a peculiar kind of "root" — as they called it. 
When boiled or baked, the English found it excellent. Thus 
the Potato 2 became an article of food in the British Islands. 

But this was not all. The Indians had a weed whose leaves 
they dried and smoked with great satisfaction. They told the 
white men of Roanoke that " it would cure being tired." The 
emigrants tried it, and one of them said that the plant had so 
many virtues that " it would take an entire volume to describe 
them all." The courtiers of Queen Elizabeth tested these vir- 
tues ; and the queen, after smoking a little of it, confessed that 
it was "a vegetable of singular strength and power." The con- 
sequence was that from that time the air of England was never 
entirely free from tobacco smoke. We shall see later that this 
plant was destined to have a very important influence on Amer- 
ican trade, and also on American history. 

30. Raleigh sends out a Second Colony; Croatoan. 3 — Raleigh, 
though disappointed at the return of his first colony, resolved to 
send out a second .(1587). All of the emigrants of 1585 were 

1 That is, from latitude 34 to 45 . The charter gave Raleigh control of the 
whole territory for six hundred miles in every direction around his settlement. 

2 The potato, by which is meant the common not the sweet potato, was not culti- 
vated by the Indians, and it is supposed that the Spaniards may have brought it to 
Virginia from some other part of the continent. The potato is an American vege- 
table ; strictly speaking, it is not a true root, but an underground stem. 

3 Croatoan (Kro-a-tone') . 



3« 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1587-1607. 



men; but many of those who went out in 1587 were men who 
took with them their wives and families. Sir Walter's hope 
was that they would make permanent homes in the wilder- 
ness, and establish a city named after him. John White, the 
deputy governor who was to act for Sir Walter, carried a 
charter, and proceeded to lay the, log foundations of the 
"City of Raleigh." 

The governor's daughter, Eleanor Dare, was the wife of one 
of the settlers. Shortly after her landing, Mrs. Dare gave 
birth to a daughter. She was the first child .born of English 
parents in America, and was baptized by the name Virginia. 

Governor White soon sailed for England to get further help 
for the colony, leaving his daughter and his granddaughter, 
little Virginia Dare, to await his return. That was the last he 
ever saw of them. Circumstances prevented his return for three 
years. When he did go back Roanoke Island was deserted. 
The only trace of the missing settlers was the word CROATOAN 
cut in bold letters on a tree. It had been agreed, before White 
left, that if the colonists abandoned the settlement, they should 
carve the name of the place to which they had gone, on a tree 
or post. If they went away in distress, they were to cut a cross 
above the name. There was the name, but no cross. Croatoan, 
as shown on early maps, was an Indian village on an island 
not far away ; but though repeated search was eventually made 
there and elsewhere, not one of the colonists was ever found. 
Sir Walter Raleigh was obliged to give up his project ; and 
America was left with not a single English settler, but with 
many "English graves." 

Raleigh had spent over forty thousand pounds on the col- 
ony. Such a sum probably represented upwards of a million 
of dollars now. He could do no more ; but he said, " I shall 
live to see it an English nation." He did live to see a perma- 
nent English settlement established in Virginia in 1607. A 
hundred and eighty-five years after that event (1792) Sir 
Walter's name was given to the seat of government of North 



1600.] 



THE SETTLERS. 



39 



Carolina, and thus the "City of Raleigh" was enrolled among 
the capitals of the United States. 

Sir Walter's example was not lost ; and from his day England 
kept the colonization of America in mind, until she finally 
accomplished it. For these reasons Raleigh is rightly regarded 
as one of the founders of the American nation. 

31. White Settlers in 1600 in what is now the United States. — 

As late as the year 1600 there seemed small promise that this 
country would ever be settled and governed by the English- 
speaking race. Look at the situation. More than a hundred 
years had passed since Columbus landed ; yet the only white 
inhabitants of the territory now embraced in the United States 
were a few hundred Spaniards in St. Augustine, Florida, and 
perhaps a few hundred more in Santa Fe, 1 New Mexico, the 
second oldest town. Over the rest of the country, embracing 
more than three millions of square miles, the Indians ruled 
supreme. France had tried to get a foothold on the Atlantic 
coast and had failed ; England had tried and failed likewise. 
Spain alone had succeeded. In 1600 it certainly looked as 
though her flag was destined to wave over the whole continent 
from sea to sea. 

32. What America was found to be; its Physical Geography. — 

Confining ourselves to the territory now included in the 
United States, let us see what the explorers of that, and also 
of a later, age found America to be. In great measure it 
seemed to them Europe repeated. It had practically the 
same climate and the same soil. It produced, or was capable 
of producing, the same trees, the same fruits, the same crops, 
with the valuable addition of cotton, sugar, and rice. In all 
ways it was equally favorable to human health and life. 

But this was not all. In two important respects America is 
superior to Europe. That continent commands the Atlantic 

1 Santa Fe (San'tah Fay, Spanish pronunciation) : see Map of United States. 
St. Augustine, it will be remembered, was settled by the Spaniards in 1565. The 
date of the settlement of Santa Fe is commonly given as 1582 ; Winsor gives 1605. 



40 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1492. 



only ; this commands two oceans, — the Atlantic and the 
Pacific. Ships can be sent direct to Europe and Africa from 
our eastern coast, and direct to Asia and Australia from our 
western. That is the first advantage. The second is that 
though America repeats the natural features of Europe in its 
lakes, mountains, plains, rivers, and forests, yet it repeats them 
on a far grander scale. Europe has nothing to compare with 
the Sierras and the Rockies, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi, 
Niagara, the Canyon 1 of the Colorado, or the Western prairies. 
"America," says a distinguished English statesman, "has a 
natural base for the greatest continuous empire ever established 
by man." 2 As will be seen later, the physical geography of the 
country was destined to have an important influence on its his- 
tory. (See Map facing page 50.) Such was the land spread 
out before the explorers. It seemed to offer to all who were 
disappointed with the Old World an opportunity to try what 
they could make of life under new and broader conditions. 

33. The Indians ; the Population then and now. — One strange 
fact about the country was that east 3 of the Mississippi the 
whole vast area was well-nigh a solitude. Where to-day fifty 
millions of white men live, there were then only two or three 
hundred thousand Indians. 4 In going through the forests, the 
explorers would sometimes travel for days without meeting a 
human being. The truth is, that the Indians cannot be said 
to have occupied the land ; they simply possessed it. To them 
it was mainly a hunting-ground to roam over or a battle-field 
to fight on. 

34. Personal Appearance of the Indians; the " Scalp-Lock." — 

Columbus called the natives Indians; 5 but they called them- 

1 Canyon : the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River in Arizona is a gorge or 
chasm extending for about three hundred miles. Its rocky walls rise from 3000 to 
7000 feet above the river. 2 Gladstone's " Kin Beyond Sea." 

3 West of the Mississippi the Indian population, in the southwest, was large. 

4 The number of Indians in the United States is estimated at about 250,000. 

5 See Paragraph 11. 



1492.] 



THE INDIANS. 



41 



selves simply "Men," or "Real Men"; "Real Men" they cer- 
tainly often proved themselves to be. The most numerous 
body of Indians in the East was the Algonquins ; the ablest 
and most ferocious was the Iroquois. 1 They were a tall, well- 
made race, with a color usually resembling that of old copper. 
Their hair was like a horse's mane, coarse, black, and straight. 
Their eyes were small, black, and deep-set. They had high 
cheek-bones and prominent noses. 

The women let their hair grow long. The men cut theirs off 
close to the head, with the exception of a ridge or lock in the 
middle. That was left as a point of honor. It was called the 
"scalp-lock." Its object was to give an adversary — if he could 
get it — a fair grip in fight, and also to enable him to pull his 
enemy's scalp off as a trophy of the battle. That lock was 
the Indian's flag of defiance. It waved above his head as the 
colors do over a fort, as if to say, "Take me if you can! " 

35. How the Indians lived. — The Indians were savages ; but 
seldom degraded savages. 2 They lived by hunting, fishing, 
and agriculture. Their farming, however, was of the rudest 

1 Iroquois (Ir-o-kwa'). See Map of Indian Tribes facing page 46. 

2 Of the origin of the American Indians, nothing is positively known. They may 
have come from Asia ; or if America is, as some geologists believe, older than the 
Old World, then the people of Asia may have originated here. 

In their structure the different languages of the Indians were apparently unlike 
that of any other race. Their civilization, customs, and manners varied widely. 
Those of the northern part of the country were much more barbarous than those of 
the southwest. The four chief families east of the Mississippi were : I. The Algon- 
quins, extending from that river to the Atlantic. II. The Iroquois, occupying a 
large part of what is now the State of New York, and surrounded by Algonquins. 
III. The Mobilians of the southeast. IV. The Natchez of the southwest. 

Throughout the Mississippi Valley thousands of remarkable earthworks are 
found, such as fortifications, burial mounds, enclosures for villages, and ridges of 
earth shaped like serpents and animals. West of the Mississippi immense build- 
ings are found constructed of stone or sun-dried brick. These pueblos, as they are 
called, are often large enough to accommodate the population of an entire village. 
They are erected by the Indians of that region. The remains in the Mississippi 
Valley may have been the work partly of races which preceded the Indians and 
partly of the Indians themselves. They are of much interest to the antiquarian, but 
have no known connection with United States history. 



42 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1492. 



kind. For weapons they had bows and arrows, hatchets made 
of flint, and heavy clubs. 

The Indian believed in a strict division of duties. He did the 
hunting, the fighting, the scalping; his wife did the work. She 
built the wigwam, or hut of bark. 1 She planted and hoed the 
corn and tobacco. She made deerskin clothes for the family. 
When they moved, she carried the furniture on her back. 
Her housekeeping was simple. She kindled a fire on the 




ground by rubbing two dry sticks rapidly together; then she 
roasted the meat on the coals, or boiled it in an earthen pot. 
There was always plenty of smoke and dirt ; but no one com- 
plained. House-cleaning was unknown. 

36. The Moccasin, the Snow-Shoe, the Birch-Bark Canoe. — 

The most ingenious work of the Indians was seen in the 
moccasin, the snow-shoe, and the birch-bark canoe. The 
moccasin was a shoe made of buckskin, — durable, soft, 
pliant, noiseless. It was the best covering for a hunter's 
foot that human skill ever contrived. 

1 The wigwams were of various kinds. Some would hold only a single family ; 
others, as among the Iroquois tribe, were long, low tenement-houses, large enough 
for a dozen or more families. In some parts of the country the wigwams were 
made of skins stretched on poles ; in others, they were built of logs. 



1492.] 



INDIAN GOVERNMENT. 



43 



The snow-shoe was a light frame of wood, covered with a net- 
work of strings of hide, and having such a broad surface that 
the wearer could walk on top of the snow in pursuit of game. 
Without it the Indian might have starved in a severe winter, 
since only by its use could he run down the deer at that season. 

The birch-bark canoe 1 w r as light, strong, and easily pro- 
pelled. It made the Indian master of every lake, river, and 
stream. Wherever there were water-ways he could travel 
quickly, silently, and with little effort. If he liked, he could 
go in his own private conveyance from the source of the Ohio 
to the Gulf of Mexico, or from the mouth of the St. Lawrence 
to the Falls of Niagara. 

37. Indian Government ; "Wampum." — Politically the Indian 
was free. Each tribe had a chief, but the chief had little real 
power. All important matters were settled by councils. The 
records of these councils were kept in a peculiar manner. 




Treaty-Belt made of Wampum. 

The Indian could not write, but he could make pictures that 
would often serve the purpose of writing. The treaty made 
by the Indians with William Penn was commemorated by a 
belt made of "wampum," or strings of beads. It represented 
an Indian and a white man clasping each other by the hand 
in token of friendship. That was the record of the peace 
established between them. 

But quite independent of any picture, the arrangement of 
the beads and their colors had a meaning. When a council 

1 In some parts of the country canoes were made by hollowing out logs. 



44 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1492. 




was held, a belt was made to show what had been done. 
Every tribe had its "wampum " interpreters. By examination 
of a belt they could tell what action had been taken at any 
public meeting in the past. 

The beads 1 of these "wampum" strings had another use; 
they served for money, a certain number of them representing 
a certain fixed value. 2 But the Indian 
rarely needed these beads for this pur- 
pose. The forest supplied him and 
his family with food, clothes, and 
medicine. Under such circumstances 
a pocket full of money would have 
been as useless to him as to a bear. 

38. Social Conditions of the Indians; 
" Totems." — Socially, the Indian had 
less liberty than the white man. He 
was bound by customs handed down 
from his forefathers. He could not 
marry as he pleased. He could not 
sit in whatever seat he chose at a 
council. He could not even paint his face any color he fan- 
cied ; for a young man who had won no honors in battle would 
no more have dared to decorate himself like a veteran warrior 
than a private soldier in the United States army would venture 
to appear at parade in the uniform of a major-general. 

Each clan 3 had a "totem," 4 or badge, to designate it. The 
"totem" was usually the picture of some animal. Among 
the Iroquois the figures of the Bear, Turtle, and Wolf were 

1 Originally all "wampum" was made of white or colored shells strung on 
strings ; after the coming of Europeans glass beads were often used. 

2 For instance, a hundred white beads, or fifty colored ones, would buy a certain 
quantity of corn. 

3 A clan was made up of kinsmen, — the descendants of a common mother. 

4 To'tem : the animal or other object represented by the " totem " was held in 
reverence by the tribe. They believed that they had descended from its spirit, and 
that it watched over them and protected them. 



#,;•„, s» 5 il|wr':^ 

Indian Gravestone 
showing Totem of the Bear. 



1492.] 



the Indian's self-control. 



45 



the coat-of-arms of the " first families '' of the Indian aris- 
tocracy. The " totem " was also used as a mark on grave- 
stones, and as a seal. Old deeds of land given by Indians 
often bear these marks, just as a grant of land made now 
by the United States has the government seal on it. 

39. Indian Religion; Indian Character. — The Indian usually 
believed in a Great Spirit — all-powerful, wise, and good ; 1 
but he also believed in many inferior spirits, some good, and 
some evil. 

Often he worshipped the evil spirits most. He reasoned 
in this way : The Great Spirit will not hurt me, even if I do 
not pray to him, for he is good ; but if I neglect the evil 
spirits, they may do me mischief. 

Beyond this life the Indian looked for another. There the 
brave warrior who had taken many scalps would enter the 
happy hunting-grounds ; there demons would flog the coward 
to never-ending tasks. 

It has sometimes been said that " the only good Indian is 
a dead Indian " ; but judged by his own standard of right and 
wrong, the red man was conscientious. He would not steal 
from his own tribe, he would not lie to his friends, he did not 
become a drunkard till the white man taught him. 

40. The Indian's Self-Control ; Torturing Captives ; Respect for 
Courage. — The Indian rarely expressed his feelings in words, 
but he frequently painted them on his face. You could tell 
by his color whether he meant peace or war, whether he had 
heard good news or bad. He sometimes laughed and shouted ; 
he seldom if ever wept. From childhood he was taught to 
despise pain. A row of little Indian boys would sometimes 
put live coals under their naked arms, and then press them 
close to their bodies. The game was, to see which one would 
first raise his arms, and drop the coal. The one that held 

1 Some modern writers question this ; but the weight of evidence would seem to 
show that the Indians worshipped — at least, at times — one omnipotent Power. 



46 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY [1492. 

out longest became the leader. If an Indian lad met with an 
accident, and was mortally wounded, he scorned to complain ; 
he sang his "death-song," and died like a veteran warrior. 

The Indians either adopted their captives or tortured them. 
They liked to see how much agony a captive could bear with- 
out crying out. The surest way for a prisoner to save his life 
was to show that he was not afraid to lose it. The red man 
never failed to respect courage. An instance is found in the 
case of General Stark of New Hampshire. He was taken 
prisoner by the Indians (1752) and condemned to run the 
gauntlet. Two long rows of stalwart young warriors were 
formed. Each man had a club or stick to strike Stark as 
he passed. But Stark was equal to the occasion. Just as he 
started on the terrible race for life he snatched a club out 
of the hands of the nearest Indian, and knocking down the 
astonished savages right and left, he escaped almost unhurt. 
The old men of the tribe, who stood near, roared with laughter 
to see the spruce young warriors sprawling in the dust. 
Instead of torturing Stark, they treated him as a hero. 

41 . The Indian and the White Man ; what the White Man learned 
from him. — The Indian was a treacherous and cruel enemy, 
but a steadfast friend. He thought at first that the white man 
was a celestial being who had come from heaven to visit him. 
He soon found out his mistake, and acted accordingly. 

The Indian could return good for good, but he knew nothing 
of returning good for evil ; on the contrary, he always paid 
bad treatment by bad treatment, and never forgot to add some 
interest. If he made a treaty he kept it sacredly ; it is said 
that in no instance can it be proved that he was first to break 
such an agreement. Those of the early white settlers who 
made friends with the red man had no cause to regret it. 

The Indian's school was the woods. Whatever the woods 
can teach that is useful — and they can teach much — that, 
he learned. He knew the properties of every plant, and the 



1492.] EFFECTS OF THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. 47 

habits of every animal. The natives taught the white man 
many of these things, but the most useful of all the lessons 
the American barbarians gave the civilized Europeans was 
how to raise corn in the forest without first clearing the land. 

They showed them how to kill the trees by burning or gird- 
ling them. Then, when the leaves no longer grew, the sun 
would shine on the soil, and ripen the corn. There were times 
in the history of the early settlements of white men when that 
knowledge saved them from starvation ; for often they had 
neither time nor strength to clear the soil for planting. 1 

42. Influence of the Indians on the Early History of the Country. 

— But the results of contact between the two races did not 
end here. The alliances formed between the Indians and the 
English on the one hand, or the Indians and French, who 
were rivals and enemies of the English, on the other, had 
important historical results. The hostility of the Iroquois 
nations of New York to the French in Canada prevented the 
French from getting possession of the Hudson River, and so 
separating the English colonies of New England from those 
of Virginia and Pennsylvania. This was a decided advantage 
to the English settlers, who thus got a firm foothold on the 
Atlantic coast. 

Finally, the Indian wars prevented the English from scat- 
tering over the country. These contests forced them to 
stand by each other, and thus trained them for union and 
for independence. 

43. Effects of the Discovery of America on Europe. — What, 
now, were the effects of the discovery of the New World on 
Europe ? They may be summed up as follows : — 

I. There was a sudden and immense increase of geographical 
knowledge. That made a new map of the earth necessary, — a 

1 In recent times, the Sibley army tent, which is extensively used at the West by 
the United States troops, shows that useful lessons may still be learned from the 
Indians. It is constructed on a plan borrowed from the wigwams of that region. 



48 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1492. 

map representing it not only as a globe, but as a globe enor- 
mously larger than had been conceived, for it was found to 
contain the continents of North and South America and the 
Pacific Ocean. 

II. The New World invited new enterprise : there were 
vast regions to be explored and conquered. Spain, Portugal, 
France, and England began to plan western empires beyond 
the Atlantic. These plans gave rise to a struggle for the 
mastery, and to important and decisive wars, especially be- 
tween England and France. Men of every rank turned their 
attention to America, — some seeking wealth, others political 
power, others a refuge from religious or political oppression. 
Here was room and opportunity for all. 

III. The discovery of the precious metals in Mexico and 
South America had far-reaching effects. Before the mines 
were found there had often been great scarcity of gold and 
silver in Europe. Kings robbed the Jews, and hired pretended 
chemists to try to turn lead into gold. Now the treasure 
obtained from America enabled them to equip armies, build 
palaces, and make public improvements of all kinds. Thus 
the riches which poured in from the west gave a new impulse 
to the life of the Old World. 

IV. Intercourse with America had an immense influence on 
trade and navigation. Before Columbus sailed, the commerce 
of Europe was confined chiefly to the Mediterranean. Then 
little vessels crept cautiously along the shore, peddling out 
their petty cargoes from port to port. Now all was changed. 
Large and strong ships began to be built, fit to battle with 
Atlantic storms, and ocean commerce commenced. Trade 
took its first great step toward encircling the globe. 

V. New products were obtained from America. We gave 
Europe Indian corn, 1 the tomato, the turkey, and the potato, 
for which tens of thousands of half-fed peasants were grateful. 

1 Maize, or Indian corn, if not first introduced to Europe from America, was first 
practically introduced from here ; so, too, was India Rubber. 



1492.] 



SUMMARY. 



49 



To these important articles of food should be added such 
luxuries as cocoa and tobacco, and such drugs, dyestuffs, and 
valuable woods as Peruvian bark, cochineal, logwood, and 
mahogany. 

VI. Before the discovery of America, sugar, cotton, rice, and 
coffee, when used at all, were imported by Europe from the 
Indies. 

Only the rich could, as a rule, afford them. Now they were 
either re-discovered in America, or transplanted here. In time 
they became cheap and plentiful, and even the poor 'of the 
Old World came to regard them as necessaries of life. 

VII. The material and scientific results of the discovery and 
settlement of America*were not the only ones. Men's minds 
grew larger to take in a larger world. The voyage to America 
was like a journey to another planet. It made Europe 
acquainted with new races, new animals, new plants, new 
features of nature, new fields of enterprise. All felt that 
America meant opportunity. That was a great thought — in 
some respects the greatest that had ever moved the minds 
and hearts of men. It roused new hope ; it stimulated new 
and independent effort. 

44. Summary. — The period embraced in this section covers 
the greater part of a century. In it we have three classes of 
discoveries and explorations : 

1. Those of the Spaniards; these were confined to the 
south. They comprised Florida, the Pacific, the Mississippi 
and Mexico. 

2. Those of the French ; these related to the river St. 
Lawrence and to expeditions to the eastern coast of Florida 
and vicinity. 

3. Those of the English ; these included explorations on the 
coast at the far north, those of Drake on the Pacific, but, more 
important than all, those on that part of the Atlantic coast 
then called Virginia. 



50 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1492-1590. 



We have seen how Ponce de Leon and De Soto attempted 
to conquer Florida. We have witnessed the struggle between 
the French and the Spaniards for possession of that country, 
and have seen it end with the triumph of the Spaniards, and 
the founding of St. Augustine (1565), the oldest town in the 
United States. 

On the other hand, we have seen that the English expedi- 
tions of Frobisher and Gilbert, with Raleigh's project of a 
Virginia colony, all failed, and that the country was left with 
no white occupants but the Spaniards. 

Finally, we have considered the effects of the contact of the 
white and the Indian races, and have briefly set forth the 
important results of the discovery of America on Europe. 



PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY, 



(See, in general, Winsor^s ''America,'''' IV., i.-xxx.; Shaler^s " United States," and 
" Our Continent?} 

The physical geography of the United States has had and must continue to have 
a powerful influence, not only on the health and industry, but on the character and 
progress of the American people. 

I. The English colonies were planted on rivers or harbors which invited settle* 
ment and favored their commercial intercourse with the mother country, with the 
West Indies, and with each other. 

II. The Appalachian range barred the West against the colonists and confined 
them to a long, narrow strip bordering on the sea. This limitation of soil had im- 
portant effects on the occupations and the exports of the settlers, while it encouraged 
the development of union, political strength, and independence. 

III. The Canadian French, on the other hand, having control of the St. Lawrence 
and the Great Lakes, soon got temporary possession of the Mississippi valley. This 
led to a war which ended by giving the West to the English colonists. 

IV. The first English-speaking settlements made west of the Alleghanies were 
planted on streams flowing into the Mississippi, — a river system 35,000 miles in 
extent, watering the great central valley of the continent. Later, the steamboat 
made that vast region accessible in all directions. 

V. After the Colonies secured their independence, the boundaries of the Ameri- 
can Republic were fixed by successive treaties. These boundaries were determined, 
to a great extent, by : 1. coast-lines; 2. rivers and lakes; 3. watersheds; 4. moun- 
tain ranges. In 1783 our possessions bordered upon the Atlantic only; in 1803 they 
touched the Gulf of Mexico; in 1846 they reached the Pacific. (See "Table of 
Boundaries. 1 ') 

VI. The most pressing question with every rapidly growing people is that of 
food-supply. Some nations of Europe — notably Great Britain — can only feed 
themselves by importing provisions. America is so fortunate in soil, climate, and 
extent of territory, that the people produce not only all the breadstuffs and meats 
they require, but they have an immense surplus for exportation. 

VII. Next in importance to grain and meats are cotton, wool, timber, coal, petro- 
leum, iron, copper, and the precious metals. These products are powerful factors in 
the development of modern civilization, and it is believed that no continent is richer 
in them than our own. 

VIII. While cotton fastened slavery on the South, the abundant water power of 
New England gave the first impulse to American cotton manufacturing. On the 
other hand, the western prairies stimulated agriculture and immigration, and encour- 
aged the building of railroads, which in twenty years did more to open up the coun- 
try than two centuries had done before. Again, physical geography has influenced 
legislation respecting labor, the tariff, trade, currency, and the building of roads and 
canals ; furthermore, it determined decisive military movements in the Revolution 
(see Washington's retreat across the Delaware, § 173) and the Civil War (see 
§§ 332, 333, 34i)- 

IX. Experience proves that the physical conditions of the United States favor 
health, vigor, and longevity. Statistics show that in size and weight the American 
people are fully equal, if not, indeed, superior to Europeans, while their average 
length of life appears to be somewhat greater. (See Rhodes's " U. S.," III., 73, 74.) 

X. The conclusion of eminent scientists is that no part of the globe is better 
suited to the requirements of one of the master-races of the world than the United 
States, and such statesmen as Lincoln and Gladstone have declared their belief that 
this country has a natural base for the greatest continuous empire ever established 
by man. 



III. 



" It cannot be denied that with America and in America a new era com- 
mences in human affairs." — Daniel Webster. 



PERMANENT ENGLISH AND FRENCH SETTLE- 
MENTS. 

THE THIRTEEN COLONIES. — FRENCH EXPLORATION OF THE 
WEST. — WARS WITH THE INDIANS AND WITH THE FRENCH.— 
COLONIAL LIFE. — GENERAL VIEW OF THE COLONIES (1607-1763). 

45. Opening of the Seventeenth Century; Gosnold' s Expedi- 
tion. — The seventeenth century opened with new, and, in the 
end, successful efforts on the part of both the English and 
the French to establish colonies on this continent. 

In 1602 Gosnold, an English navigator, set sail for Virginia. 
Instead of taking the usual circuitous route by way of the Cana- 
ries and the West Indies, he struck boldly across the Atlantic. 1 

By this course he saved nearly a thousand miles in distance, 
and at least a week in sailing time. He landed on a cape on 
the New England coast, which he named Cape Cod, from the 
abundance of cod-fish found there. Then doubling the cape, 
and sailing south, he reached Cuttyhunk Island, 2 at the entrance 
to Buzzard's Bay. 

On that island he built the first house erected in Massachu- 
setts, intending to leave a colony there ; but when he had got 
a cargo of sassafras root and cedar logs, the settlers determined 

1 Gosnold sailed from Falmouth on the southwest coast of England. Contrary 
winds drove him to the Azores ; thence he sailed a little north of west until he 
reached the New England coast. See Map of America, page 36. 

2 See Map on page 80. 

51 



52 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1607. 

to go back with him. The sassafras root was then in great 
demand in England as a fashionable medicine and cure-all. 
Gosnold counted on a handsome profit on it. But Sir Walter 
Raleigh accused him of trespassing on his land, 1 and seized 
the cargo, much to the disappointment and disgust of the in- 
dustrious sassafras-diggers. The expedition, however, had 
this result : it showed Englishmen a shorter and more direct 
route to America, and it kept up an interest in the country. 

I. Virginia (1607). 

46. England's Need of America ; the King grants a Charter to 
settle Virginia. — The population of England was then small, 
but many were out of employment. There were two reasons 
for this : first, thousands of disbanded soldiers had returned 
from the European wars, and could get nothing to do at home ; 
next, many farmers, finding that wool-growing paid better than 
raising wheat or barley, had converted their farms into sheep- 
pastures, This threw multitudes of laborers out of work. 
Everywhere there was distress. So men naturally turned their 
eyes toward America. Such an opportunity seemed providen- 
tial. As one preacher declared, Virginia was the door which 
God had opened to England. 

Two companies were organized to send out emigrants. One 
was called the London, the other, the Plymouth Company. 
The charter 2 given by King James I. granted to the London 
Company the exclusive right to settle in Southern Virginia 
between Cape Fear and the Potomac. 3 To the Plymouth 
Company he gave the entire control of Northern Virginia be- 
tween the eastern end of Long Island and the northern limit 
of the mainland of Nova Scotia. 4 The object of the compa- 
nies was trade and exploration. 

1 It will be remembered that Raleigh's charter gave him control of the American 
coast from north latitude 34 to 45° See Paragraph 29. 

2 See definition of charter in note on page 25. 3 See map facing page 53. 

4 The London Company controlled the territory between the 34th and 38th degrees 



1607.] 



VIRGINIA. 



53 



The three most important articles of the charter were these : — 

I. The companies were to hold their lands free of any mili- 
tary or other service to the king, but were to give him a fifth 
part of any precious metals they might find. 

II. Each colony was to be governed by a council appointed 
by the king, and responsible to him. 1 

III. The settlers were to enjoy all the rights and privileges 
possessed by English citizens in England. 

In addition to the charter, the king and the companies gave 
the emigrants a long list of instructions, and good advice 
enough for a population sufficient to settle the whole conti- 
nent. These instructions ordered — 

1. That the Church of England — that is, the national 
Episcopal Church — should be established in the colonies. 

2. That for the first five years no land should be given to 
any one, but that every settler must deposit the products of 
his labor in the company's warehouse, from which he would 
receive whatever he needed for his living. 

3. That the colonists should carefully explore all rivers in 
their vicinity, to see if they could not find "a short and easy 
way to the South Sea " 2 and the East Indies. 

47. The London Company's Colony sails, 1607; Captain John 
Smith. — The first colony 3 was sent out by the London Com- 
pany on New Year's Day, 1607. It consisted of 105 persons, 
all men. Nearly half of these were classed as "gentlemen "; 4 

of north latitude ; the Plymouth, that between the 41st and 45th degrees. The 
intervening country (38th to 41st degrees), embracing what is now the coasts of 
Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York, was open to settlement by either 
company ; but neither was to settle within 100 miles of the other. 

1 Each colony was to be under the control of a resident council appointed by the 
king ; the council chose its own president. This in turn was to be governed by a 
general council in London : both were to be subject to the king's will. 

2 The South Sea, that is, the Pacific Ocean. See Paragraph 19. 

3 The Plymouth Company's colony is mentioned under Paragraph 93, note 1. 

4 In England, a gentleman is usually understood to be a person of good family 
and of independent income. One or two of the " gentlemen " who went out to Vir- 
ginia had property, but most of them were younger sons who had not inherited 



54 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1607. 



that is, persons of good family, not brought up to manual 
labor. The remainder were mechanics, tradesmen, and labor- 
ers. Thus it will be seen that a very large proportion were 
unfit for such an undertaking — they were going out tender- 
handed to struggle with the rough life of the wilderness. 

Fortunately there was a young man of decided ability 
among the colonists. This was Captain John Smith. His 
energy and courage saved the settlers from starvation. 

48. The Emigrants settle Jamestown, Virginia, 1607; Condi- 
tion of the Colony. — The expedition went by way of the 
West Indies, in order to trade with the 
natives there, and reached the American 
coast in the spring. About the middle 
of May they sailed up a river of Virginia, 
which they named the James River, in 
honor of the king ; for the same reason 
they called the settlement which they 
began on a peninsula on that river, 
Jamestown. 1 

They found a country abounding in 
every natural advantage, and well deserv- 
ing that name of the "Good Land," 
which the Indians are said to have given 
it. But they found themselves destitute 
of those rights and privileges which English citizens enjoyed, 
and which the charter expressly stated that they should con- 
tinue to possess. At home many of them had a right to vote, 
and to take part in making the laws by which they were gov- 
erned ; in the Virginia woods they could do neither, for they 
were ruled by a council that was in turn ruled by the king. 
Next, they owned no land, and the work of their hands did 

money. They went hoping to make fortunes in the New World, either in Virginia, 
or in the Indies, which they supposed could easily be reached from there. 

1 The peninsula is now an island. It is about thirty miles up the river, on the 
northern bank. 




1607.] 



SUFFERINGS OF THE COLONISTS. 



55 



not belong to them. In this last respect they were worse off 
than the poorest day-laborer they had left behind them. Fur- 
thermore, the idle man was certain that he would not suffer, 
for he could draw provisions out of the common storehouse ; 
the industrious man, on the other hand, knew that by the sweat 
of his toil he must feed the idle. Considering this discourag- 
ing start, the wonder is that the colony not only lived, but 
lived to lay the foundation of a prosperous, powerful, and 
independent State. 

49. Sufferings of the Colonists ; Search for the Pacific ; Pocahon- 
tas. — As the weather was warm, the new settlers built no 
houses at first, but lived under rude shelters made of branches 
or of old sails. The provisions they brought with them had 
partly spoiled, and the river water was unwholesome to drink. 
Many fell ill with fever. During the hot summer the mortality 
was terrible. By September, half of the settlers had died. The 
few who were able to be about had all they could do to tend 
the sick and dig graves. In the autumn matters somewhat 
improved ; log huts were built, and the settlers were made 
more comfortable. Later, they urged Smith to lead an ex- 
ploring expedition to find the South Sea. 1 They set out in 
high spirits, supposing that, at that point, the country was 
less than 200 miles across from the Atlantic to the Pacific! 2 

In the course of the exploration Smith was captured by the 
Indians, and taken to their chief, Powhatan." The chief was 
"a tall, sour-looking old man " ; he ordered his warriors to 
knock Smith's brains out. According to the valiant captain's 
account, he was saved by Pocahontas, 4 the chief's youthful 
daughter, who ran up, just as the club was raised, and put her 
arms round the prisoner's head. 5 

1 See Paragraph 46, No. 3. of the Instructions to the Colonists. 

2 A map of 1651, sold in London at that date, represents Virginia as a narrow 
strip of land bet-ween the two oceans. See a copy of the map in Winsors "America," 
Vol. III., page 465. 3 Powhatan (Pow-at-an / ). 4 Pocahontas (P5-ca-hon'tas). 

6 Up to 1S66 the truth of the Pocahontas story had never been questioned; but 



56 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1607-1608. 



Some years afterward, John Rolfe, a colonist who had come 
over to Virginia at a later period, became interested in Poca- 
hontas. He labored for the conversion of the tender-hearted 
heathen, and labored so effectually that she not only embraced 
Christianity, but took Rolfe for her husband besides. The 
marriage was a fortunate one, since it made Powhatan the firm 
friend of the colony at a time when it needed all the friends 
it could get. King James, however, shook his head over the 
matter, and questioned whether Rolfe, being a man without 
rank, had not committed treason in presuming- to marry a 
native American princess. 

50. Gold! the French settle in Canada, 1608; the Colony's Debt 
to Smith ; the Colonists leave Jamestown. — Not long after Smith 's 
adventure with the Indians, one of the settlers found a yellow- 
ish substance which was said to be gold. In spite of the cap- 
tain's vigorous protests, the colonists set to work to dig the 
" gilded dust " and load a vessel with it. When the cargo 
reached England, it was indeed found to be one sort of gold ; 
that is, it was that worthless kind of glittering iron ore popu- 
larly known as "fool's gold." 

In the summer of that year (1608) an event occurred des- 
tined to have important results. Champlain, a famous French 
explorer, sailed up the St. Lawrence to Quebec, and there es- 
tablished the first permanent French colony in America. It 
was the feeble beginning of a rival power which was one day 
to dispute the right of the English to possess any part of the 
country. 1 

Shortly after this date Smith was chosen president 2 of the 

certain inconsistencies in Smith's account of the affair led the late Mr. Charles Deane 
in 1866 to deny its authenticity. For a defence of Smith's account, see Professor 
Arber's edition of Smith's works, and his article in the Encyclopedia Britannica, 
on " John Smith." 

1 De Monts, a friend of Champlain's, attempted to establish a colony in Acadia 
(Nova Scotia) in 1604, but his enterprise failed. The first permanent settlement in 
that part of the country was not made until 161 o. 

2 See Paragraph 46, Article II., of the Charter, and note 1 on that paragraph. 



CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. 



1609.] 



GOVERNOR DALE. 



57 



council, arid thus became head of the government at James- 
town. His rule was an encouragement to the industrious, but 
a terror to the lazy. Those who tried to live without working 
soon found that they must also try that harder thing — to live 
without eating. But the captain's term of office was short, for 
he met with a fearful accident that made it necessary for him 
to return to England. He never revisited the colony. After 
he had gone, the Indians began depredations. They had 
looked up to Smith as a superior being, and when they 
wanted rain used to beg him to pray for it for them. Now, 
they did not hesitate to rob and murder the settlers. Every- 
thing went to rack and ruin. Sickness and famine set in. In 
six months only sixty persons were left out of five hundred. 
A ship came, bringing more colonists and some supplies ; but 
matters looked so discouraging that it was resolved to aban- 
don the country, and go back to England. Some of the set- 
tlers, when they left, were for setting fire to Jamestown, but 
fortunately that was not done. None shed a tear on going ; 
for, it was said, "none had enjoyed one happy day " there. 

51. Lord Delaware ; the New Charter; Governor Dale ; the Great 
Reform. — The settlers had actually embarked, when they met 
Lord Delaware coming up the river with a fleet from England. 
Delaware made the settlers turn back. He came out as gov- 
ernor under a new charter 1 which gave him the entire control 
of the colony. He had the power of ruling by military law, 
and could hang a man, without a jury to decide his guilt. 

Lord Delaware soon resigned, and was succeeded by Gov- 
ernor Dale. He was a stern old soldier, determined to pre- 
serve order. If a colonist talked against his regulations, the 
governor had a hole bored through his tongue : that kept him 

1 This second charter (1609) gave the London Company the entire control of the 
colony. They appointed a governor to act for them. Virginia was declared by this 
charter to extend 200 miles north of Point Comfort, and the same distance south. 
" West and northwest " it extended to the Pacific, and included all islands within 
100 miles of either coast. 



58 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1609-1612. 



quiet for a while. If a man refused to go to church, he was 
put on short allowance of victuals, and whipped every day 
until he repented. 

But the new governor was not simply a tyrant. He was a 
person of excellent judgment, and really sought the welfare of 
the colony. He practically abolished the old system of living 
out of the public storehouse. 1 To every settler he gave a small 
piece of land, and allowed him a certain number of days in the 
year to work on it for himself.' 2 From this time a new spirit 
animated the community. Up to this year the laborer had 
been discouraged, for, no matter how hard he toiled, he had 
nothing he could call his own. Now, owing to the governor's 
wise provision, every man could look with pride on his little 
garden, and say, " This is mine." That feeling gave him heart; 
before, he had worked in silence; now, he whistled while he 
worked. Before, he had not cared much whether he had the 
right to vote or not ; but now that he was a property-holder, 
he wanted that right. 

52. What Tobacco did for Virginia. — In 161 2 John Rolfe, the 
husband of Pocahontas, began the systematic cultivation of 
tobacco. 3 In the course of a few years it came to be the 
greatest industry in Virginia. 4 At one time even the streets 
of Jamestown were planted with it. It took the place of 
money, and clergymen and public officers received their sal- 
aries in it. Before this, America had practically nothing to 
export. With tobacco, commerce began ; for Europe would 
buy all the colonists could raise. 

1 See Paragraph 46, No. 2, of the Instructions to the Colonists. 

2 Later, Governor Dale induced the London Company to grant 50 acres to any 
settler who would clear and settle on them, and pay a trifling rent to the king. For 

\os. (or say $300 in modern money), any one could purchase 100 acres where he 
pleased. Whoever performed a public service to the Company or Colony was to 
have a grant not exceeding 2000 acres. 3 See Paragraph 29. 

4 The value of the tobacco crop of the United States is now nearly #30,000,000 
annually ; that of cotton, the cultivation of which was begun about the same time, 
but not then extended, is about S2 70,000,000. 



1612-1619.] 



TOBACCO. 



59 



King James denounced the use of the plant as " loathsome," 
"hateful," and " dangerous " ; but the English people filled their 
pipes just the same, and smoked calmly on. Then His Majesty 
had to content himself with laying a heavy tax on tobacco, 
thus making " the vile weed " help support the throne. 

The outlook of the colony now began to change for the 
better. The cultivation of tobacco had four important effects: 
i. If directly encouraged the settlers to clear the land, and 
undertake working it on a large scale. 2. It established a 
regular and highly profitable trade with Europe. 3. It in- 
duced emigrants who had some money, and also industrious 
farmers, to come over to Virginia, and engage in the new 
industry. 4. It introduced the importation of negro slaves, 
as the cheapest means of carrying on great plantations. 

These plantations had a decided influence on the population. 
They kept it scattered ; and as the Virginians did not like to 
be cooped up in towns, few were built. The tobacco farms 
were on the banks of the James or other rivers, and vessels 
could load at them direct for England. Hence there was no 
need of a port to which to carry the produce. The cultivation 
of tobacco — especially by unskilled slave labor — exhausted 
the soil, and so compelled the planters to constantly add new 
land to their estates, thus pushing the owners farther and 
farther apart from each other. One result of this separation 
and of the lack of towns was that neither schools nor printing 
presses came into existence until very late, and the mass of 
the people had to get their education from nature, not from 
books or newspapers. Another result of the want of towns 
was that men seldom met to discuss public matters. 

53. Virginia becomes practically Self-governing ; Importation of 
"Wives. — The year 1619 was a memorable one in the history 
of the colony. That year Sir George Yeardley 1 came over 
from England as governor. Acting under instructions from 

1 Yeardley (Yeerd'ly). 



60 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1619. 



the London Company, he summoned a general assembly or 
legislature, to be elected by all the freemen of Virginia. 

The colony now consisted of eleven plantations, or towns, 1 
later called boroughs. 2 Each of these boroughs was invited 
to send two representatives or burgesses. 3 They met in the 
church at Jamestown, Friday, July 30, 161 9* This House of 
Burgesses, as it was then called, was the first law-making 
assembly that had ever come together in America. It meant 
that at last the colonists had practically obtained the right of 
managing their own affairs. Spain would not grant that power 
to her colonists in St. Augustine, or elsewhere. France would 
have refused it to Quebec and to her other settlements. 
England was then the only country in Europe, except Swit- 
zerland, where the people had a share in the government, and 
England now gave that privilege 5 — the greatest she could 
give — to her colonists in the New World. Later, the right 
was restricted, but it was never wholly taken away. 

But though the men could now discuss politics and make 
laws, many of them had no proper homes, for but few un- 
married women had emigrated to Virginia. To remedy this 
serious deficiency, the London Company sent out ninety 
young women. The cost of the passage for each 6 was fixed 
at 120 pounds of the best tobacco. 

When the long-looked-for ship arrived, the young unmarried 

1 No counties had then been laid out in Virginia. Later, when counties were 
organized, nearly all the representatives were sent from them. This made the 
Virginia system of government far less democratic than that of Massachusetts (set- 
tled later), for there at first all public affairs were decided by the whole body of 
voters, and not by a selected number of persons representing them. When the 
population of Massachusetts became too large for this, the towns, instead of the 
counties, sent representatives to the legislature. 

2 Borough : an old English name for a town. 

3 Burgess : an inhabitant of a borough or a citizen elected to represent a borough. 
The House of Burgesses, or the lower house of the Virginia Legislature is now called 
the House of Delegates. 

4 The date is sometimes, though incorrectly, given as June 30. 

5 Confirmed by a written Constitution sent out by the London Company in 1621. 

6 The best tobacco was then worth about 75 cents a pound in Virginia. 



1619.] 



NEGRO SLAVERY. 



61 



men were waiting at the wharf, and those who had their 
tobacco ready soon managed to get wives in exchange. The 
ninety brides liked the country so well that they wrote back 
to England, and persuaded more maids to come over and take 
pity on the forlorn bachelors in the American wilderness. 

54. Introduction of Negro Slavery ; White "Apprentices." — In 

the records of this same remarkable year of 16 19 we read 
these significant words : "About the last of August came in 
a Dutch man-of-war that sold us 20 Negars." This was the 
beginning of African slavery in the English colonies of Amer- 
ica. At that time every leading nation of Western Europe 
traded in negroes. No one then condemned the traffic, for 
no man's conscience was troubled by it, and at a much later 
period the king of England derived a large income from selling 
slaves in America. The system gradually spread over the 
country, and a little more than a hundred and fifty years 
later (1776) every one of the thirteen American colonies held 
slaves. There . was, however, this marked difference : at the 
North the negroes were nearly all kept as house-servants, and 
were not very numerous ; but at the South they were employed 
chiefly as field-hands : so that there the whole system of agri- 
culture depended on them, and many of the wisest and best 
men did not then see how tobacco and rice could be raised 
without slave labor. 

Still, for a long time the increase of negro slaves in Virginia 
was very slow, for many white people were sent over from 
England to be bound out as apprentices 1 to planters for a 
certain number of years. Part of them were enterprising 
young men who wanted to get a start in America, but, having 
no money to pay their passage, bound themselves to work for 
the London Company, provided they would bring them over. 

In some cases poor children, picked up in the streets of 

1 They were commonly called" indentured servants " or " indentured apprentices," 
from the indentures or legal papers which bound them. 



62 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1624. 



London, were sent here to get homes. Others, again, were 
kidnapped by scoundrels who made it their business to decoy 
young men, and ship them off as " servants v to America. At 
a later date, when wars and insurrections broke out in 
England, many prisoners taken in battle were sent over here, 
and sold to planters. Finally, in one case at least, King 
James I. insisted, in spite of the protest of the colonists, on 
despatching a hundred criminals to this country, thinking, 
perhaps, and possibly with truth, that ten years' experience 
here might make honest men of them. 

Thus, many elements contributed to build up the new com- 
monwealth. In this respect Virginia resembled the "made- 
land " of some of our cities. There is good material in it, and 
there is some not so good ; but in time it all helps to make the 
solid foundation of stately streets and broad avenues. 

While the South was thus growing, Dutch and English 
emigrants had settled at the North. The former established 
themselves in what is now New York, the latter, a little later, 
founded Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

55. Virginia becomes a Royal Province; Governor Berkeley; the 
Puritans and the Cavaliers. — In 1624 King James took away 
the Company's charter. In future the colony was to be gov- 
erned by the king as a royal province ; but the assembly was 
not prohibited, and the people continued to make their own 
laws to a considerable extent. 

The next king, Charles I., sent over Sir William Berkeley as 
governor. Governor Berkeley was a stanch Royalist. He had 
small faith in government by the people, in education of the 
people, 1 or in any religion but that of the Episcopal Church 
of England. 

The majority of the well-to-do colonists and of the rich to- 

1 Speaking of the colony in 1671, Governor Berkeley said: "I thank God there 
are no free schools nor printing, and I hope we shall not have them these hundred 
years." His reason was that he thought education made the mass of the people 
discontented and rebellious against authority ; but he subscribed toward a college. 



1630-1649.] 



THE CAVALIERS. 



63 



bacco planters agreed with the governor. They thought that 
it was better for a community to confine the privileges of edu- 
cation and of political power to persons of property and stand- 
ing than it was to give them to everybody who asked for them. 

But at that time there was a strong party in England who 
called themselves Puritans, because they insisted on purifying, 
as they said, the national Church from some of its ceremonies 
and methods to which they were conscientiously opposed. 
That party was also opposed to the king, who endeavored in 
many respects to rule the country contrary to law, and in 
direct violation of the expressed will of the majority of the 
people. Many of the Puritans left their native land and 
sought refuge in New England, where they founded the city 
of Boston (1630). 'Next, a body of English Catholics settled 
Maryland (1634), and the Virginians, who were jealous of the 
new-comers, made them no little trouble. Later, the English 
drove the Dutch out of New York and New Jersey, and took 
possession of the country. But before this last event civil ^ 
war had broker^ out in England. On the one side was the 
king, supported by the Royalists, or Cavaliers ; on the other 
side were the Puritans, many of whom had left the national 
Church, and, under the name of Separatists or Independents, 
had set up a form of worship of their own. 

The war went against the king. He was taken captive and 
beheaded. England was then declared a republic under Oliver 
Cromwell, and Governor Berkeley retired from office. Most 
of the leading Cavaliers were men of rank, and before the war 
had been men of property. As they found the new order of 
things very uncomfortable, hundreds of them emigrated to 
Virginia, where they knew the Puritans and republicans were 
few, and the Royalists numerous, rich, and influential. 

Some of the most illustrious names in Virginia history are 
those of Cavalier emigrants. Lee was one, and Washington 
was probably another. 1 

1 On the genealogy of the Washington family in England, see W. C. Ford's : The 



64 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1660-1673. 



The first was a friend of the late king ; and members of the 
family of the second may have fought for him. The descend- 
ants of these men — Richard Henry Lee and George Washing- 
ton — gave their strength, heart and soul, to the establishment 
of the United States of America. 

56. Governor Berkeley again in Power; the Navigation Laws; 
the King gives away Virginia. — When monarchy was restored 
in England (1660), Sir William Berkeley put on the governor's 
silk robe of office again. For sixteen years he, with an 
Assembly that was in sympathy with him, ruled the colony 
according to his own imperious will. During that long period 
no new elections were held, and consequently the mass of the 
people had no voice in the government. 

This grievance was not all. During Cromwell's time certain 
laws called Navigation Laws 1 had been enacted which forbade 
the Virginians to send any tobacco out of the country except 
in English vessels going to England, or to purchase any 
foreign goods except those brought over in English vessels. 
The new king, Charles II., now determineo! to revise and 
enforce these laws. Governor Berkeley protested, and all the 
planters with him ; but it was useless. The result was that 
Virginia's chief trade was almost ruined; for the planters had 
to sell their tobacco for whatever English merchants saw fit 
to offer them, and then buy their sugar and their cloth at 
whatever price those merchants pleased to demand. 

This was bad enough, but there was worse to come. In 1673 
the wasteful and profligate king, with one stroke of his pen, 
gave away the whole of Virginia — a territory then having a 
population of 40,000 2 — for thirty-one years, to the Earl of 

Writings of Washington, XIV., 319. There is a strong probability that George 
Washington's ancestors belonged to the Cavalier or Aristocratic party. 

1 The original purpose of the Navigation Laws was not to restrict or injure the 
foreign trade of the American colonists, but to prevent the Dutch from competing 
with England in commerce. 

2 The population consisted of 32,000 freemen, 2000 negro slaves, and 6000 
" apprentices " or white servants. 



1675-1676.] 



THE BACON REBELLION. 



65 



Arlington and Lord Culpepper, two of his favorites. At last 
the question of ownership was settled in favor of the colonists, 
but for a long time it caused great anxiety and distress. 

Meanwhile, as we have seen, English emigrants, mainly 
Puritans, had established nourishing colonies in New England; 
the Dutch had been forced to give up New York, and English 
Quakers had bought New Jersey. In the South, English Catho- 
lics had settled in Maryland, and colonies of Englishmen had 
also been founded in the Carolinas. Thus by 1675 an English- 
speaking population practically held control of the whole 
Atlantic coast of America from Maine nearly to the borders 
of Florida. 

57. Deplorable State of the Colonists ; the Bacon Rebellion. — The 

people of Virginia were now in a deplorable state. They had 
no homes that they could certainly call their own, they had 
no Assembly that represented them, the taxes were enormous, 
and they could get scarcely anything for the tobacco they ex- 
ported. Still their lives were safe, and while life was left hope 
was left. But in 1676 the Indians suddenly rose, as they had 
just done in New England, and began massacring the inhab- 
itants. It was not the first attack, but it was the most terrible. 
The people begged Governor Berkeley's help, but he did noth- 
ing. Then a wealthy planter named Nathaniel Bacon raised 
a force, and took decided action against the Indians. His 
influence finally became so great with the colonists that Gov- 
ernor Berkeley was obliged to allow the people to elect a new 
Assembly. 

They did so, chose Bacon for one of their representatives, 
and enacted a series of reform measures known as the " Bacon 
Laws." But as Bacon distrusted the governor, civil war soon 
broke out, and the "Virginia rebel," as he was called by 
those in authority, marched on Jamestown. Seizing a number 
of the wives of the governor's friends, he placed them in front 
of his troops. This "White Apron Brigade" saved him from 



66 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1676. 



the fire of the governor's guns. That night Jamestown was 
abandoned. In the morning Bacon entered it, and applying 
the torch, burned the .place to the ground. It was never 
rebuilt. As you go up the James River to-day you see the 
ruined tower of the old brick church standing a melancholy 
memorial of the first English town settled in America. 

Bacon soon after died; but one of his chief supporters, 

named Drummond, fell 
into the governor's hands. 
"Mr. Drummond," said 
the governor, " you are 
very welcome. I am more 
glad to see you than any 
man in Virginia. Mr. 
Drummond, you shall be 
hanged in half an hour." 
He was executed forth- 
with. In all, Governor 
Berkeley put to death 
over twenty persons. 
When Charles II. heard 
of it, he said, "That old 
fool has hung more men 
in that naked country 
than I did for the murder 
of my father." 1 

But the colony never 
wholly forgot the meaning of the Bacon rebellion, and its 
protest against tyrannical government. The people's As- 
sembly that enacted the "Bacon Laws" met in June, 1676. 
Just a century later their descendants met at Williamsburg, 
nearly in sight of the ruins of Jamestown, and there declared 
themselves independent of Great Britain. 




Ruins of Jamestown. 



1 King Charles II. had tried and executed only six out of the fifty-nine judges who 
had sentenced his father (Charles I.) to death. 



1609.] 



NEW NETHERLAND. 



67 



58. Summary. — Jamestown, the first English town per- 
manently settled in the New World, was founded in 1607. 
There the first American legislative assembly met in 161 9. 
Negro slaves were introduced the same year. The cultivation 
of tobacco built up commerce and largely increased the popu- 
lation but did" 1 not favor the growth of towns. The colony 
was strongly Royalist, and received many Cavaliers from 
England. Later, the Navigation Laws injured its prosperity. 
There was a period of bad government, and Bacon attempted 
reform. His undertaking failed. But the people remembered 
the man and his work, and Virginia, a hundred years later, 
was the first colony to propose the establishment of American 
independence. 1 

II. New Netherland, or New York (16 14). 

59. Henry Hudson's Expedition. — In 1609 Captain Henry 
Hudson, an Englishman, then in the employ of Holland, 
crossed the Atlantic in the hope of finding a passage by 
water through or round America to China and India. 

With his Dutch crew he entered what is now New York 
Bay, and was the first Englishman who sailed up that noble 
river which to-day bears his name. He reached a point about 
150 miles from the mouth of the river, at or near where Albany 
now stands. It was the month of September, and Hudson had 
good reason for saying, " It is as beautiful a land as one can 
tread upon." About a month before, Champlain 2 had come 
almost as far south as that, on an exploring expedition from 
Quebec. He gave his own name to the lake, known ever since 
as Lake Champlain, and claimed the country for France. 

60. The Indians give Hudson a Reception on Manhattan Island ; 
the Strange Drink. — The Indians thought that the English 
captain, in his bright red coat trimmed with gold lace, must 
be the Great Spirit or his direct representative. They gave 

1 See Paragraph 167. 2 See Paragraph 50. 



68 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1609-1623. 



him a formal reception on Manhattan Island. In the course 
of the interview Hudson drank the chief's health in a glass of 
brandy, and then offered him a glass. The chief took it, smelt 
of it, and passed it to his warriors. Thus it went from hand 
to hand. At last it came to one more daring than the rest. 
He thought the Great Spirit would be offended if no one 
tasted the beverage. Lifting the brandy to his lips, he bade 
his comrades a solemn farewell, and swallowed it. In a short 
time he began to stagger, and then fell unconscious to the 
ground. His friends imagined that he was dead ; but before 
the conference was over the supposed dead man came to life. 
He declared that it was the "strongest water" he had ever 
tasted, and that it had made him happier than he had ever 
been before in his life. Soon, every red man present had 
tried the new and strange drink. Hudson meant the gift in 
no unkindly spirit, but to the natives it was simply poison. 
For them alcohol had a fatal fascination. Since then liquor 
has probably destroyed more Indians than war and disease 
combined. The Indians were afraid of the white man's gun ; 
it would have been far better for them if they had been still 
more afraid of the white man's drink. 

61. The Dutch take Possession of New Netherland; Jealousy 
of England and France. — The Dutch, rinding from Hudson's 
report that valuable furs could be bought of the Indians at 
enormous profit, soon sent over ships, and opened trade with 
the natives. In 1 6 1 4 the Republic of the United Netherlands or 
Holland, took possession of the country on the Hudson River, 
and gave it the name of New Netherland. That very year Cap- 
tain John Smith, formerly of Jamestown, Virginia, explored 
the Atlantic coast east and northeast of the Hudson. He 
made a map of it, calling the country New England. 

Both the English and the French now had good reason for 
turning jealous eyes on New Netherland, for that province was 
like a wedge. It separated the colony of Virginia from the 



\ 



1626.] 



MANHATTAN ISLAND. 



69 



unsettled region of New England, and .the point of it at the 
north entered that territory which Champlain claimed as part 
of New France. A 
number of years 
later (1623) the 
Dutch made that 
wedge more danger- 
ous still by building 
a fort on the Upper 
Hudson. This 
stronghold they 
called Fort Orange, 
in honor of the 
Prince of Orange, 
president of the Re- 
public of Holland ; 
but the Dutch did 
better than build a 

Map showing the Chief Dutch Settlements on the Hudson. 

fort, for they made 

a treaty with the Iroquois Indians which was sacredly kept 
by those savages. Many years afterward the English got pos- 
session of Fort Orange, and gave it the name of Albany, from 
the Duke of York and Albany. 



62. Purchase of Manhattan Island. — In 1626 the Dutch West 
India Company sent out a colony under Governor Peter Minuit. 1 . 
He landed with his emigrants on the Island of Manhattan, 




where a Dutch trading-post already existed. The governor 
bought from the Indians the entire island of 14,000 acres for 
twenty-four dollars' worth of scarlet cloth, brass buttons, and 
other trinkets, or at the rate of about one-sixth of a cent 

. 1 Minuit (Min'u-it). 




JO LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



an acre. 1 The city of New York now occupies that land, 
which is valued and taxed at a good deal more than a 
thousand millions of dollars. 

The new settlement consisted of a fort, a stone warehouse, 
and a cluster of log huts. Such was the real beginning of 
the metropolis of America. The Dutch called the place by 
its Indian name of Manhattan, but later gave it the name of 
New Amsterdam. 

63. The Patroons As Holland was anxious to establish a 

sufficient population in the province to hold it against all 
intruders, it granted a charter intended to favor emigration. 
That charter gave to any member of the Dutch West India 
Company who should take or send out fifty settlers within four 
years, the right to a large amount of land on any navigable 
river or bay in New Netherland. Such a proprietor was to 
receive the honorary title of "Patroon." 2 If he located his 
estate on one bank only of a river, he was to have sixteen 
miles of water-front ; if on both banks, he was to have eight 
miles on each. Inland, he might extend his settlement as far 
as he could occupy the soil to advantage. In all cases he 
was to purchase the land of the Indians. 

The patroon who began a settlement agreed to do three 
things: 1. To pay the expenses of the emigrant's passage 
from Holland. 2. To stock a farm for him on his estate with 
horses, cattle, and all necessary agricultural implements, at a 
small rent, and free from taxes. 3. To provide a schoolmaster 
and a minister of the Gospel. 

1 " Amsterdam, Nov, 5, 1626. 

" High and Mighty Lords : Yesterday, arrived here the ship ' The Arms of 
Amsterdam,' which sailed from New Netherland ... on the 23d of Sept. They 
report that our people are in good heart and live in peace there. . . . They have 
purchased the Island of Manhattan from the Indians for the value of 60 guilders 
$24.00]. . . . 

" Herewith, High and Mighty Lords, be commended to the mercy of the Almighty. 

" Your High Mightinesses' obedient, u p Schagen." 

2 Patroon : patron, or protector, 



1626-1647.] 



PETER STUYVESANT. 



71 



In return, the emigrant bound himself in many ways, of 
which the three following were the principal ones : He agreed, 
1. to cultivate the patroon's land for ten years, and not to 
leave it without permission. 2. To give the patroon the first 
opportunity to buy any grain or other produce he might have 
to sell. 3. To bring all disputes about property and rights to 
the patroon's court, of which the patroon himself was judge. 1 

A patroon named Van Rensselaer 2 took an estate in the 
vicinity of Albany, of 700,000 "acres. It occupied both banks 
of the Hudson, extending twenty-four miles along the river, 
and reaching twice that distance back. Additions were made 
to the territory, so that eventually it embraced the three pres- 
ent counties of Albany, Rensselaer, and Columbia. The total 
area of that vast domain was considerably greater than that 
of the State of Rhode Island. Such a proprietor was richer 
than many a German prince. He was at once owner, ruler, 
and judge. He not only had a population of white settlers 
who were his servants and laborers, but he had moreover the 
promise from the Dutch West India Company of as many 
negro slaves as they could " conveniently provide " him. 
There was no one to contradict the patroon's will. He was 
clothed with authority which even Governor Minuit might 
envy ; for he was actually monarch of all he surveyed. 

64. Peter Stuyvesant, the Last Dutch Governor of New Nether- 
land. — In 1647 Peter Stuyvesant 3 came out to New Amster- 
dam as fourth and last governor of the province. He was a 
veteran who had given a leg to the cause of his country, and, 
having replaced it with a substantial wooden one, bound with 

1 In cases involving more than $20.00 value the settler might appeal from the 
patroon's court to the Company. Other points were these: 1. The settler agreed to 
bring his grain to the patroon's mill, and pay for the grinding. 2. He could not fish 
or hunt on the patroon's estate. 3. He was not to weave any cloth, but buy that 
imported from Holland. 4. If he died without leaving a will, all of his property fell 
to the patroon. 3 Stuyvesant (Sti've-sant). 

2 Van Rensselaer (Van Ren'sel-ler). Other noted families dating from that 
period are the Schuylers and Van Cortlandts. 



72 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1647. 



silver, was familiarly known as "Old Silverleg." Governor 
Stuyvesant was hot-tempered and headstrong ; but he was 

honest, fearless, 
and determined 
to have order in 
the colony at any 
cost. If turbu- 
lent characters 
came in he dis- 
posed of them 
summarily. In a 
picture of New 
Amsterdam at 
that period two 
of the most prom- 
inent objects 
are the gallows 
and the whip- 
ping-post — both 




Map of the City of New Amsterdam (New York) in I 660. 



occupied. 

The inhabit- 
ants complained of taxes, and wished to have a word to 
say how the money should be 
raised and spent. The gover- 
nor resisted such presump- 
tion, but finally had to yield, 
and permit a council of 
" Nine Men " to be elected to 
assist him. 

Later, when the people 
asked for still more liberty in 
this direction, he emphatically 
refused ; for, said he, if citizens 
elect their own officers, "the 




Peter Stuyvesant. 



thief will vote for a thief, and the smuggler for a smuggler." 



1647.] 



NEW AMSTERDAM. 



73 



In regard to freedom of worship he was equally decided. A 
minister who ventured to preach doctrines different from those 
of the Dutch Protestant Church was fined $500, and those 
who went to hear him had to pay $100 each. This made free 
thought expensive. Toward a few Quakers, who ventured into 
the colony, Stuyvesant was horribly cruel. The authorities in 
Holland rebuked him, and ordered that every man should be 
permitted to worship God in his own house in his own way; 
but the governor managed to do as he liked. 

Aside from these tyrannical measures, Peter Stuyvesant was 
a good ruler. He made numerous improvements in the "city" 
of New Amsterdam — a "city "that in 1656 had a population 
of only a thousand, many of whom were negro slaves. In 
order to better defend the place he had a high and strong 
palisade built on the north of the town. It extended entirely 
across the island from river to river. Such was the origin of 
Wall Street, which to-day is the great money -centre of 
America. 

From an early period the population of the town was a mixed 
one, made up of Dutch, French, and English. The laws had 
on this account to be published in three languages. Even then 
New Amsterdam was beginning to represent all nationalities. 
The Dutch saw that the place had a future, and predicted that 
the time would come when its "ships would ride on every sea." 
To-day the miles of wharves on the East and North Rivers, 
lined with vessels under every flag, and hailing from all the ports 
of the globe, show how far their judgment was correct. But 
England, too, understood the value of the Hudson and the har- 
bor. She was determined to get possession of it, first, because 
of its commercial advantages ; next, because, so long as the 
Dutch held it, Virginia and New England were both in danger. 

In fact, Stuyvesant had made attempts to seize the country 
v on the Connecticut River, where English settlers had come in, 
and he had furthermore succeeded in getting possession of 
what is now Delaware and New Jersey. 



74 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1664. 

The English king, Charles II., claimed the whole country 
on the ground that the Cabots had discovered the coast and 
planted the English flag on it in 1497. For this reason Charles 
now gave it to his brother James, Duke of York. England and 
Holland were then at peace; but, suddenly, one day in 1664, 
a British fleet appeared off New Amsterdam, and demanded 
its surrender. Governor Stuyvesant was furious. He swore 
that he would never surrender " as long as he had a leg to 
stand on or an arm to fight with "; but finding that the citi- 
zens positively refused to uphold him he had to submit. The 
English promised full protection of life and liberty to the 
inhabitants. Furthermore, they agreed to grant religious lib- 
erty, freedom of trade, and a representative government. 

The result was that the Dutch flag on the fort was hauled 
down, the English colors were run up, and thereafter the prov- 
ince of New Netherland became, in honor of James, Duke of 
York, the British province of New York. In like manner the 
quiet Dutch " city " of New Amsterdam became "his majesty's 
town of New York." 1 

Ex-Governor Stuyvesant went back to Holland, but soon 
returned to spend the rest of his days on his "great bowery," 
or farm, which was on the east side of the island, just outside 
the city limits. The street now called the Bowery recalls the 
"bowery lane "which once led to the stern old soldier's home. 

65. Summary. — Henry Hudson, in 1609, sailed up the river 
named for him. The Dutch took possession of the country, 
and called it New Netherland ; on Manhattan Island they 
founded the city of New Amsterdam. England and France 
were both jealous of the colony. In 1664 England took pos- 
session of the country, and named it New York, in honor of 
James, Duke of York. 

1 In 1673 New York was captured tythe Dutch during war between Holland and 
England, but was given up to the English again when peace was made, less than a 
year later. From that time until the Revolution it remained subject to England. 



1617-1674.] 



NEW JERSEY. 



75 



III. New Jersey (1617). 

66. The Dutch claim the Country between the Hudson and the 
Delaware; New Jersey. — In 161 7 the Dutch, crossing over from 
Manhattan Island, 1 built a small fort at Bergen,- on the west 
bank of the Hudson. Later they built a second fort nearly 
opposite where Philadelphia now stands. The whole country 
between these forts they claimed as part of New Xetherland, 3 
though the English maintained that as the Cabots had dis- 
covered the coast, it belonged by right to them. 4 

In 1664, after the English had conquered the Dutch colony 
of Xew Xetherland, the Duke of York gave the whole territory 
between the Delaware River and the Hudson to his friends 
Lord Berkeley 5 and Sir George Carteret. Sir George had 
been governor of the island of Jer- 
sev in the English Channel. During 
the Civil War he gallantly defended 
that island in behalf of Charles I., the 
Duke of York's father. For this reason 
the Duke named the country which he 
granted to him and to Lord Berkeley, 
Xew Jersey. An English settlement 
was made that year at a place which 
the emigrants called Elizabethtown, 
in honor of Lady Elizabeth Carteret, 
wife of Sir George. 

Yery liberal terms were granted to 6 — 25 C "" E 5o F """ ES — Too 
settlers by the proprietors of this province, and the people 
had a direct part in the government. 

67. The Friends, or Quakers, buy New Jersey; Treaty with the 
Indians ; Prosperity of the Country ; New Jersey becomes a Royal 
Colony. — ■ In 1674 some English Friends, or Quakers, bought 

1 See Paragraph 62. -Bergen: pronounced Ber'gen. g hard. See Map, p. 112. 
3 See Paragraph 61. 4 See Paragraph 14. 6 Now. Elizabeth. 
5 John. Lord Berkeley, and not Governor Berkeley of Virginia, 




?6 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1702-1738. 



Lord Berkeley's share, or West Jersey, and later William Penn 
and other members of the Society of Friends bought the other 
half, or East Jersey, from the heirs of Sir George Carteret. 

The Friends made a treaty with the Indians at Burlington 
which was so satisfactory to the savages that they declared 
that if they found an Englishman sleeping in the path, they 
would not molest him, but would say, "He is an Englishman; 
he is asleep; let him alone."" In the same spirit of good will 
the Friends granted self-government to the colonists. The 
people levied their own taxes, made their own laws, and all 
settlers enjoyed religious liberty. The commerce of the Jer- 
seys increased, and iron manufacture was begun. But eventu- 
ally trouble arose about titles to land, and the proprietors 
thought it best (1702) to put the two colonies directly into 
the hands of the English government. They were united 
under the jurisdiction of the governor of New York ; but in 
1738 New Jersey became a separate province. From this 
time until the Revolution it was ruled by a governor of its 
own appointed by the king of England. The last of the royal 
governors was William Franklin, son of Benjamin Franklin. 

68. Summary. — The Dutch first claimed possession of what 
is now New Jersey. The English Duke of York seized the 
country and gave it to two of his friends, naming the province 
from the British island of Jersey. 

A company of English Quakers then bought the land, grant- 
ing to the settlers most of the privileges of self-government. 
In 1702, the Quaker proprietors surrendered their rights to 
the English sovereign, and New Jersey became a royal colony 
until the Revolution. 

IV. Massachusetts (Plymouth Colony, 1620). 

69. Former Lack of Religious Liberty in England; Catholics; Pur- 
itans; Separatists. — When the English began to settle in Amer- 
ica (1607), no country in Europe had that entire freedom of 



1607-1620.] THE PILGRIMS. 77 

worship which every civilized nation enjoys to-day. In Eng- 
land the law required every one to attend the Protestant Epis- 
copal Church established by the government. Furthermore, 
all persons had to pay taxes for the support of that church. 

Three classes of good and loyal citizens objected to that 
lav/. They were, first, the Catholics, who protested against 
the injustice of being obliged to aid in maintaining a creed 
they did not accept ; secondly, the Puritans, 1 who thoroughly 
believed in the principle and also in the doctrines of the national 
Protestant Church, but decidedly objected to some of its cere- 
monies; lastly, the Separatists, who, like the Puritans, accepted 
the religious teachings of the Church of England, but, not ap- 
proving its forms, had separated from it and set up independent 
congregations of their own. 

70. Emigration of those who sought Religious Liberty; the Sepa- 
ratists go to Holland. — Not being able to obtain the freedom 
they desired in England, many emigrants, representing the 
Catholics, the Puritans, and the Separatists, came to America. 
Here, they hoped that they might be able to worship God with- 
out molestation, according to the dictates of their consciences. 

The first who thus emigrated were the Separatists. In 1607 
a congregation of these people held religious services in the 
little English village of Scrooby. 2 Finding that they could 
have no peace, but were, as they said, " hunted," " persecuted," 
and "clapped up in prison," they fled to Holland, where, they 
had heard, there "was freedom of religion for all men." 

71. The Separatists, or Pilgrims, resolve to go to America ; their 
Reasons. — In 1620 a part of the Separatists, or Pilgrims, 3 as 

1 See Paragraph 55. 

2 In the East of England, in the extreme north of Nottinghamshire, at a point 
where that county joins Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. See Map, page 78. 

3 " So they left that goodly and pleasant city [Leyden, Holland; see Map, p. 78] 
which had been their resting-place near twelve years ; but they knew they were 
PILGRIMS [see Hebrews xi. 13] and looked not much on those things; but lifted 
up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits." — 
Bradford's History of Plymouth, 1607-1646. See the MS. in State House, Boston. 



y8 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1620. 

they now with good reason called themselves, — for they had 
no fixed home, — resolved to emigrate to America. 

Aside from the prospect of a terrible religious war between 
Spain and Holland, three chief reasons induced the Pilgrims 
to leave the country : i. In Holland, though they were with 
a friendly people, yet they were among those whose language 
and customs were not English. 2. As their children grew up, 
they would naturally marry into the Dutch families, and in a 
few generations their descendants would become Dutch. 3. 
Finally, they desired to build up a community on soil belong- 
ing to England, where they and those who came after them 
might enjoy both political and religious liberty, according to 
the Pilgrim standard of what was just and right. 

72. Where they proposed going; how they got Assistance to go. 

— The only English settlement then in America was that at 
Jamestown, Virginia. The Pilgrims could not go to that part 
of the country, for no worship but that of the Church of Eng- 
land was permitted there. They eventually determined to estab- 
lish themselves at some place near the Hudson River. 1 They 
had first to get the consent of King James of England. He 
would not openly favor their going, but finally " consented to 
wink at their departure " for America. As most of the Pil- 
grims were poor men, they were obliged to get assistance for 
their passage. A company of English merchants and specu- 
lators agreed to help them on these hard conditions: 1. The 
Pilgrims were to work for seven years without a single day to 
themselves except Sunday. 2. At the end of that time all that 
they had accumulated was to be divided equally between them 
and the company. On these terms a settler would not even 
own the whole of his house and garden after seven years' 
incessant toil. But the emigrants could not do better, and 
the agreement was signed, though it made a number of men 

1 " To find some place about Hudson's river for their habitation." — Bradford's 
History of Plymouth, 1607-1646. The Pilgrims thought at one time of going to 
New Amsterdam (New York) and settling among the Dutch, but that was given up. 




THE HOMES OF THE PILGF 




ENGLAND AND IN HOLLAND. 



1620.] 



THE PILGRIMS SAIL. 



79 



past the prime of life simply "apprentices and servants" to 
the company. 

73. The Pilgrims sail; Myles Standish. — On September 16, 
1620, the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, England, carrying 
the second English colony that was to make a permanent 
home in the new world. 1 There were only 102 of the emi- 
grants, all told, and of these, less than ninety could be called 
Pilgrims. The others were persons who had joined them, or 
were servants or sailors hired by them. 

Among those who were not members of the Pilgrim congre- 
gation, but who chose to cast their lot in with them, was Cap- 
tain Myles Standish. 2 He was a man with the heart of a lion 
in battle, and the hand of a woman for the sick and wounded. 
Without his Counsel and his sword it is doubtful if the colony 
could have succeeded. 

74. The Pilgrims reach Cape Cod ; the Compact. — On a morn- 
ing late in November the storm-tossed Pilgrims sighted Cape 
Cod. They tried to go south of it, but the weather was 
against them, and two days later (Nov. 21st) the Mayflower 
finally came to anchor in what is now Provincetown Harbor, 
at the extreme end of the Cape. 

They had no authority to settle in New England, but they 
decided to do so. Some of the servants had threatened that 
if they stopped there, they would be their own masters and 
obey no one. To preserve order, the Pilgrims gathered in the 
cabin of the Mayflower and there drew up and signed a com- 

1 The Pilgrims sailed from Delftshaven. the port-of Leyden, Holland (see Map, 
page 78), the last of July, 1620, in the Speedwell, for Southampton. England, where 
the Mayflower was waiting. August 5 both ships sailed for America with about 
120 passengers. Twice the Sfeedwell put back in a leaky condition. Finally, on 
September 16 1 Xew Style), the Main cruer sailed alone from Plymouth, England, on 
her ever-memorable voyage to America. 

2 One branch of the Standish family in England has always been Catholic: the 
other is Protestant. It is not certainly known to which Myles Standish belonged ; 
but probably to the latter — the family of Duxbury Hall. Lancashire. 



SO LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1620. 



pact or agreement. By that agreement they declared them- 
selves "loyal subjects " of the king, and at the same time they 
affirmed their purpose of making whatever 
laws were needful for the " general good of 
the colony." They elected John Carver for 
their first governor. Thus the new Common- 
wealth began : they were but a few score peo- 
ple, but they had the strength that belongs to 
those who fear God and respect themselves. 




75. They explore the Coast, and land; Plymouth Rock; the 
First Winter. — While the Mayflower remained at anchor, 



Captain 
explore. 



Standish with 
On December 




Plymouth Rock. 



a boatload of men went out to 
21 they reached the harbor which 
Captain John Smith had 
called Plymouth on the map 
made by him, in 161 4. On 
the shore of that harbor lies 
a granite bowlder. It is said 
to be the only one directly 
on the water's edge for 
several miles. According to 
tradition they landed on that 
bowlder. It is not a large 
i_ one, only a few feet square, 
' but it fills a greater place in 
American history than any 
other rock on the continent ; 
for Plymouth Rock is the 
stepping-stone of New Eng- 
land. 



A few days later, the Mayflower sailed into that harbor, the 
men all went ashore, and the work of building a log hut for 
the general use began. Later, another cabin was erected, 
but it had to be used for a hospital instead of a settler's home. 



1621.] 



GOVERNOR BRADFORD. 



Si 



Such were the hardships of that winter that by spring just half 
of the colony were in their graves. But when the Mayflower 
went back, in April (1621), not one of the Pilgrims returned 
in her. They had come to stay. 




76. Governor Bradford ; Town-Meeting ; the Indians. — Soon 
after the Mayflower sailed Governor Carver died. William 
Bradford (1621) was chosen to fill his place, and from that 
time for thirty-six years, until his 
death in 1657 he was chosen gov- 
ernor every year except five — and 
those five he begged off. Those 
thirty years and more of office 
show what the Pilgrims thought 
of the man. 

All public matters were dis- 
cussed and decided in town-meet- 
ing. There every man met his 
neighbor on equal terms. There 
the laws were made. It was pure 
government by the people — such 
government as was known nowhere 
else in either this country or Eu- 
rope except perhaps in a few dis- 
tricts of Switzerland. The nearest 
approach to it in America was the 
Virginia House of Burgesses, but that was made up of repre- 
sentatives of plantations, — later of counties, — and was not 
a meeting of the whole people. The laws the Pilgrims made 
they enforced. The man who resisted was speedily tied neck 
and heels together on the ground, and left there for a reason- 
able time to meditate on the error of his ways. 

Not long before his death Governor Carver had made 
a treaty with Massasoit, chief of a neighboring tribe in 
the southwest. The treaty was faithfully kept — it was not 



Monument to Captain Myles Standish 
on "Captain's Hill," Duxbury, 
Plymouth Bay, 



82 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1626-1630. 



really broken for more than fifty years. Later, Canonicus, 
chief of a tribe of hostile Indians, threatened to attack 
Plymouth. He sent Governor Bradford a declaration of war 
in the shape of a bundle of arrows tied round with a rattle- 
snake-skin. The governor did not hesitate. He took the 
snake-skin, stuffed it full of powder and bullets, and sent it 
back. Canonicus, like a prudent savage, decided to let the 
governor alone. When trouble with Indians did arise later, 
Myles Standish soon made them confess that though "he was 
a little man, he was a great captain." 

77. The Pilgrims buy out the English Company ; what made the 
Pilgrims Great. — In 1626 the Pilgrims bought out the English 
merchants' shares in Plymouth colony. It cost them a large 
sum of money, and they had to borrow it in London at from 
thirty to fifty per cent interest. But they were determined to 
be free of the company at any cost. Henceforth every man 
had a right to whatever he could gain for himself by fishing, 
fur-trading, or farming. 

The colony increased but slowly. Even at the end of ten 
years there were only 300 people in Plymouth. Massachusetts 
colony, founded in 1630, overshadowed and finally absorbed 
it. It was not what the Pilgrim fathers actually accomplished 
that made them great ; it was the spirit in which they worked. 
There is one thing in this world that is better than success — ■ 
that is to deserve success. That they had gained ; as their 
brethren wrote them from England, " Let it not be grievous 
to you that you have been instrumental to break the ice for 
others. The honor shall be yours to the world's end." 

IV. Massachusetts (Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1630). 

78. Settlement of Salem ; Governor Endicott ; Toleration. — In 

1628 John Endicott of Dorchester, England, 1 assisted in 

1 Dorchester, in Dorsetshire, in the South of England. 



1628.] 



GOVERNOR ENDICOTT. 



33 



planting a colony on the coast of Massachusetts. 1 Endicott 
was a Puritan of the most decided stamp. He wished to 
establish a place of refuge in New England for the oppressed 
people of his own faith, and of his own faith only. 

The new settlement received the significant Bible name of 
Salem, or Peace, 2 because there the Puritans hoped to find rest 
from persecution. The year after his arrival Endicott was ap- 
pointed deputy-governor of the colony by the London Com- 
pany, 3 that owned the land, the governor-in-chief, Matthew 
Cradock, remaining in England. Governor Endicott was 
conscientious and fearless. He lived in an age when tolera- 
tion, or liberty of worship, was not only unknown in England, 
but when the word itself could not be found in the dictionary. 
Had it been there, the governor would probably have cut it 
out, just as, at Salem, a few years later, he drew his sword and 
cut the red cross out of the English flag. That cross repre- 
sented to his mind the ancient Catholic religion of England; 
for that reason he would not have it on the royal banner. 
The word " toleration " would have seemed to him equally 
dangerous, and he would have got rid of that in the same 
way. 

Yet Governor Endicott, and those who came with him and 
after him, sincerely loved their native country and left it with 
regret. One of them, 4 as he stood on the deck of the vessel 
that was bearing him to America, looked back with eyes dim 
with tears. " Farewell," said he, "dear England! Farewell, 
the Church of God in England, and all Christian friends 
there." 

Yet these were the same men who a little later were so in 
love with the New World that they wrote back that " a sip of 

1 Massachusetts : an Indian word supposed to mean " the Great Hills." It was 
probably given to the Blue Hills of Milton, near Boston. The English confined the 
name at first to the vicinity of Boston Harbor. 

2 Salem is about sixteen miles north of Boston. 

3 This company was incorporated in London, in 1629. 

4 Rev. Francis Higginson of the First Church of Salem, 1629. 



84 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1630. 




Shawmut, or Tri-Mountain, 1630. 



New England's air is better than a whole draught of Old Eng- 
land's ale." These were indeed the right sort of emigrants to 
establish permanent colonies, and to lay the foundations of 
nourishing states. 

79. Governor Winthrop's Colony ; Settlement of Boston. — But 

the great emigration to New England began in 1630. The 

London Company had de- 
termined to transfer their 
charter and government 
from London to Massachu- 
setts. John Winthrop, a 
wealthy Puritan gentleman 
of Groton, 1 decided to emi- 
grate, and the Massachusetts Bay Company, as it was now 
called, appointed him to take the place of both Matthew 
Cradock and Governor Endicott. John Winthrop thus be- 
came the first sole and resident governor of Massachusetts. 

He came with a fleet of 
eleven vessels, bringing a col- 
ony of over seven hundred 
persons, with horses, cattle, 
and all things needed for es- 
tablishing a thriving settle- 
ment. Not finding Salem to 
his liking, Governor Win- Boston To-D ay . 

throp and his company went to Charlestown ; but at that 
place the water was not good, and there was much sickness. 

Opposite Charlestown is a peninsula which then had three 
hills, of which the middle one was divided into three peaks. 

1 Groton, Suffolk County, in the East of England. Governor Winthrop came for 
the same reason that Endicott did, because the Puritans, as he said, had " no place to 
fly unto, but the wilderness." He also felt that Great Britain needed an outlet for 
her unemployed thousands. " This land" [England], said he, "grows weary of her 
Inhabitants, so as man, who is the most precious of all creatures, is here more vile 
and base than the earth we tread upon, and of less price among us than a horse or 
sheep." — Winthrop's Life and Letters. 




1630-1634.] 



GOVERNMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



85 



The Indians called the peninsula Shawmut, 1 but the English 
named it- Tri-mountain.' 2 On that peninsula, where there was 
an abundance of excellent water, lived William Blackstone, 3 
an English hermit. He was the only white inhabitant of 
Shawmut. Blackstone invited Governor Winthrop and his 
company to move over. They did so ; and a little later we 
find the record of an order of the court commanding that Tri- 
mountain should thereafter be called Boston. 4 The name was 
given in affectionate remembrance of the old city of Boston, 
England, 5 from which place, and its vicinity, many of the col- 
onists had emigrated. 

In the course of the next ten years more than 20,000 of 
Governor Winthrop's countrymen came to New England. 
Among them were high-born men and women, with graduates 
of Oxford and Cambridge, besides people of property and 
influence — "the very flower of the English Puritans." 

80. How Massachusetts was governed; Who could vote; Occu- 
pations of the People. — During the first two years the settlers 
permitted a governing council 6 to manage all public affairs. 
Later (1634) the towns sent representatives to the legislature, 
or General Court, as it was and still is called. These repre- 
sentatives made- the laws. Not all the inhabitants could vote. 
We have seen that in Virginia 7 that right was at last restricted 
to men of property, or "gentlemen " ; in Massachusetts it was 
confined to church-members. The object was practically the 

1 Shawmut, meaning, it would seem, either a place reached by water, or sweet water. 

2 Tri-mountain, or Tremont : this name is preserved in Tremont Street. It 
appears to have been given originally to the middle hill — Beacon Hill — because of 
its three peaks, two of which have since been rounded off. The other two hills were 
Fort Hill (since levelled) and Copp's Hill. 

3 Blackstone, or Blaxton : it is supposed that he had been a clergyman of the 
Church of England. His house was on the west slope of Beacon Hill, probably not 
far from the corner of Beacon and Spruce streets. He moved to the neighborhood 
of Providence, where he died. 

4 " It is ordered that Trimontaine [Tri-mountain] shall be called Boston." Sept. 
17th, 1630. 5 Boston, Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. 

6 "Court of Assistants" : nominally 18 ; really only 12. 7 See Paragraph 55. 



86 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1634. 



same in both cases ; the Virginians wished to keep the govern- 
ment of the colony in the hands of royalist landholders or 
responsible citizens ; the Puritan commonwealth of Massachu- 
setts wished to keep it in the control of Puritans. This cor- 
ner of the continent, said they, is ours. If others come to it 
who want a different religion and different kind of govern- 
ment, we give them full liberty — to move on. 

Governor Winthrop, like Governor Berkeley of Virginia, 1 
did not believe in granting the privilege of voting to all who 
asked it. He and his friends wanted a state governed not by 
the majority, but by a select few. " The best part of a com- 
munity," said he, "is al- 
ways the least, and of 
that part the wiser are 
still less." 

The population of the 
colony was to a large ex- 



1 ) , SCALE OF MILES 
• ,' ) /X 25 50 100 


.v.';':'.;- ; ./- 

: : i- M .. A 


• S 4 ,f'*> e -iPharUMWwii 
\ U ,*. BOSTON 


■ i \ 



tent gathered in towns along the coast. Much of the soil 
was too poor to produce good crops, and there were no great 
plantations or estates like those of Virginia. But what the 
colonists could not get from the land, they got either directly 
or indirectly from the sea. Thousands of men were engaged 
in the cod fisheries on the banks of Newfoundland, and many 
were employed in the construction of vessels. Boston, it is 
said, had then the best shipbuilders in the world. Massachu- 
setts had also a thriving commerce with the West Indies. The 
colonists sent out cargoes of staves and lumber, and imported 
quantities of sugar and molasses from which they distilled 
the famous "New England rum," an article which most people 
then considered one of the necessaries of life. 

8i. Banishment of Roger Williams and Mrs. Hutchinson. — The 

fact that the Puritans considered Massachusetts exclusively 
their own led to the banishment of Roger Williams. He had 

1 See Paragraph 55. 



1635.] 



ROGER WILLIAMS. 



87 



come from England as a minister, and was settled over the 
church in Salem. He was one of the very few men of that 
day who thoroughly believed in religious freedom, or, as he 
called it, "soul liberty." "No one," said he, "should be 
bound to maintain a worship against his own consent." To 
say that was to strike directly at the law of Massachusetts, 
which required every man to attend public worship and to pay 
for its support. But not only did Roger Williams get into 
trouble on account of his denial of the right of one man to 
interfere in any way whatever with the liberty of another's 
conscience, but he greatly alarmed the Massachusetts author- 
ities by his political utterances. The Company held their 
territory by a charter given by the king. Mr. Williams denied 
that the king had any power to give them the land, because 
it belonged first of all to the Indians. This was a new and 
startling way of looking at things, and the colonists feared 
that free utterance of this kind might provoke the English 
sovereign to take away their charter. Roger Williams was 
ordered (1635) to leave the colony. Later, an attempt was 
made to arrest him and send him to England. Williams 
escaped. It was winter and the weather was bitterly cold. 
The fugitive took refuge among the Indians, who fed and 
sheltered him. The next spring he reached Narragansett Bay, 
and founded what is now the beautiful city of Providence. 

Whatever faults the exiled minister may have had, and 
whatever mistakes of judgment he may have made, we should 
never forget that he first demanded the right of entire reli- 
gious liberty for all men. 

The same year Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, a woman of remarkable 
ability and unblemished character, attacked many of the Massa- 
chusetts clergy about their religious belief, which seemed to her 
more a matter of form than of faith. She lectured or preached 
every week, and her influence was so great that a company of 
soldiers that had been raised to fight the Indians refused to march 
because their chaplain did not agree with Mrs. Hutchinson. 



88 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1635-1647, 



The General Court thought it was bad enough to have an 
Indian war on hand without having also a war of words about 
creeds. They decided that Mrs. Hutchinson was, as they 
said, "like Roger Williams, or worse," and compelled her to 
leave the colony. Later, the Baptists were forbidden to preach 
in Massachusetts and were punished when they refused to 
obey the command. 

These were harsh measures, but the colonists believed that 
it was their duty to maintain their Puritan faith at any cost, 
and they did it. 

Roger Williams soon had a chance to show that he could 
forgive those who had despitefully used him. The Pequots, 1 
an Indian tribe of Connecticut, were plotting a massacre of 
the white settlers of that part of the country, and were trying 
to stir up the Narragansetts to attack Massachusetts. Wil- 
liams used his influence with the latter tribe to such good 
effect that they refused to fight. Thus the exiled minister was 
probably the means of saving the people of Boston and sur- 
rounding towns from the horrors of an Indian war. 

82. Public Schools; Harvard University; Eliot's Work among 
the Indians. — In 1635 provision was made for the establish- 
ment of a public school in Boston. Twelve years later (1647) 
a law was enacted practically providing instruction for every 
white child in Massachusetts. This laid the foundation of the 
common school system of the United States. 2 Not satisfied 
with thus doing what no country in Europe had ever done, 
the General Court voted in 1636 to give four hundred pounds 3 
— or what was equal to an entire year's tax of the colony — 
to found a college at Newtown, afterward called Cambridge. 

1 The Pequots inhabited the valley of the Pequot, or Thames, River, in Eastern 
Connecticut. 

2 See " The Origin and Growth of Our Public Schools" (D. H. M.), Ginn & Co. 
8 Four hundred pounds : a sum probably equal in cash to $10,000 now; but as 

the vote was a whole year's tax, it was the same as if the State should give that 
amount to-day, which would be over five millions! 



1638.] 



ELIOT AND THE INDIANS. 



89 



It is said that " this was the first legislative assembly in which 
the people, through their representatives, ever gave their own 
money to found. a place of education." 

Two years later the Rev. John Harvard of Charlestown left 
his library of three hundred and twenty volumes, and half of 
his estate, — or about seven hundred and fifty pounds, 1 — to 
the college. The General Court out of gratitude ordered the 
new institution — the first English college in America — to be 
called by his name : such was the origin of Harvard University. 2 

The interest felt in the college was so great and so universal 
that at one time (1645) every family throughout New England 
gave either a peck of corn or twelve pence in money towards 
its support. The people were poor, but they were determined, 
as they said, "that learning should not be buried in the 
graves of their fathers." 

Another object of founding the college was to educate 
and christianize the Indians. Pastor John Robinson, of the 
Pilgrim church of Leyden, Holland, 3 once wrote of Myles 
Standish, after that valiant captain had fought a battle with 
the natives : " O how happy a thing it would have been if you 
had converted some before you killed any ! " The captain 
never turned missionary, but Rev. John Eliot of Massachusetts 
resolved that he would convert some. 

He labored for many years among the Indians in the vicin- 
ity of Boston with great success'. After preaching he used 
to give the men tobacco, and the women apples, to help them 
digest the sermons, some of which were full three hours long. 

Eliot also translated the Scriptures into the Indian lan- 
guage. That Bible is in one respect unlike any other, for it 
is doubtful whether there is more than a single person now 
living who can read a chapter of it. When we come to King 
Philip's War, many years after Eliot began his noble work, we 

1 It would represent about $20,000 now. 3 See Paragraph 71, Note 3. 

2 The next colleges in order of time were William and Mary College, Virginia, 
1693, an d Yale University, Connecticut, 1701. 



90 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1643. 

shall see how the colonies reaped the fruit of the labors of the 
" Apostle to the Indians." 

83. The New England Confederacy. — In 1643 Massachusetts 
Bay united with Plymouth and with the two western colonies 
of Connecticut and New Haven in a league for mutual defence. 
The league was maintained for over forty years. Rhode Island 
and Maine wished to join it, but were refused, because the first 
had established freedom of worship, and the second stood by 
the king and the Church of England. In that day the Puri- 
tans could not conscientiously associate themselves with either. 

The object of the confederacy was twofold : 1 First, the colo- 
nies sought to protect themselves against hostile Indians and 
against the Dutch, who were anxious to get possession of the 

territory between 
the Hudson and 
the Connecticut 
Rivers. Secondly, 
they wished to 
express their sym- 
pathy with the 
Puritan party in 
England, which 
was then engaged 
in a struggle with the tyrannical king Charles I., 2 and which 
soon after changed England for a time into a republic. 

After the confederacy had ceased to exist the remembrance 
of it helped the colonists to unite against the French, who 
threatened, in 1750, to drive them out of the land. Still later, 
when trouble with England came, the fact that there had once 
been such an organization as the so-called " United Colonies 

1 One object of the confederacy was to secure the return of runaway slaves to 
their masters. 

2 The words " you shall bear true faith and allegiance to our sovereign Lord King 
Charles " were now dropped from the oath required by Massachusetts of its governors 
and chief office-holders. 




1656.] 



COMING OF THE QUAKERS. 



9 I 



of New England " prepared the way for that great and perma- 
nent confederacy of all the colonies, north and south, known 
first as the " United Colonies of America," and finally as the 
" United States of America." 

84. The Coming of the Friends, or Quakers. — In 1656 the citi- 
zens of Massachusetts kept a solemn day of fasting and prayer 
on account of the news of the doings in England of a strange 
people called Quakers. It was said that they were turning the 
world upside down with their preaching, and that if they were 
not stopped they would destroy all churches and all modes of 
government. A fortnight after that fast-day the inhabitants of 
Boston heard to their horror that two women, who were Quaker 
missionaries, had actually landed in their town. To them it 
seemed that the two women had come only to do mischief. 

The authorities at once thrust them into jail, boarded up 
the window of their cell that they might not speak to any one 
outside, and burned the books the women had brought with 
them. As soon as possible they put both missionaries on 
board ship and sent them to England. But others came, and 
all Massachusetts was soon in a fever of excitement. 

85. Why the Coming of the Quakers excited Alarm. — To-day 
there are no quieter, more orderly, or more self-respecting peo- 
ple than the Friends, or Quakers. Boston would welcome a 
colony of them now, and feel that the city was the gainer by 
their coming. Why did the arrival of a few of them then 
excite such alarm ? The reason was that the Quakers of that 
time stood in decided opposition to the ideas of the great 
majority of sober and discreet citizens. When men asked, 
"Where shall we find what is right ?" the Church of England 
answered, "You will find it in the teachings of the Church." 
The Puritans replied, "You will find it in the Bible." The 
Quakers said, " You will find it in your own heart." To most 
persons of that age such an answer seemed like rejecting both 
Church and Bible. 



92 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. • [1656. 

But the difficulty did not end there. The Friends, or Quak- 
ers, had peculiar ideas about society and government. First, 
they would not use titles of honor or respect to any one, and 
they would not take off their hats to a magistrate or a gov- 
ernor — no, not even to the king himself. This appeared to 
the people then a reckless contempt of authority. Next, the 
Quakers observed no ceremonies in their worship. 

But, acting in accordance with what they believed to be the 
teachings of the Gospel, they refused to do three things much 
more important: i. They would not give testimony under 
oath in a court of justice, or swear to support the government. 
2. They would not pay taxes to support any form of public 
worship. 3. They would not do military service or bear arms 
even in self-defence. 1 

86. Excesses committed by the Quakers. — These things in 
themselves would have been quite certain to set the Puritans 
against the Quakers, no matter how conscientious the latter 
might have been. But there were other reasons why the citi- 
zens of Massachusetts regarded them with intense indignation. 
The shameful persecution the Quakers had suffered appears to 
have driven some of them half crazy. These unfortunate peo- 
ple committed the wildest excesses. Some of them stripped 
off their clothing and went through public places to show the 
Puritans, as they said, how rfaked the land was of real truth 
and righteousness. Others smeared their faces with black 
paint and ran howling through the streets, or burst into Puri- 
tan meetings on Sunday, and calling the ministers hypocrites 
and deceivers, ordered them to come down out of the pulpit. 

87. The Puritans punish and execute the Quakers ; End of the 
Persecution. — If such things were done now, we should send 
the offenders to an insane asylum ; but the Massachusetts col- 

1 The religious belief of the Friends, or Quakers, may be summed up as follows : 
To obey conscience, and, dispensing with forms, to follow literally what they under- 
stand to be the commands of Christ. 



1656-1675.] 



KING PHILIP S WAR. 



93 



onists were moved not with compassion, but with anger. They 
were stern men and they took stern measures. They arrested 
the Quakers, whipped some of them through the towns, cut 
off the ears of others, branded others with red-hot irons, and 
drove them out into the wilderness. 

But the severity was useless ; the Quakers felt that they had 
a mission to the Puritans, and they persisted in returning and 
preaching it in the loudest manner. They were non-resistants, 
they would not strike back when persecuted ; but they would 
use their tongues, and their tongues were like two-edged swords. 
Finally, after repeated warnings, the Massachusetts authorities 
actually hanged four of these missionaries, one a woman, on 
Boston Common, and buried their bodies at the foot of the 
gallows. 

The king, however, who was friendly to William Penn, a 
prominent English Quaker, thought it policy to order that the 
colony should cease punishing them or other persons on account 
of their religion, and the excitement gradually died out. From 
that day to this the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has had 
no better citizens than the Friends, or Quakers. 

88. King Philip's War. — In 1675, Philip, son of Massasoit, 
and chief of the Wampanoags of Rhode Island, began a terri- 
ble war against the colonists. While Massasoit lived, the 
treaty he had made with the English had been faithfully kept ; 
but " King Philip " believed that the great struggle of races 
was at ,hand, and that if he and his people did not exterminate 
the white men, then the white men would certainly exterminate 
them. Philip succeeded in forming an Indian league, and the 
savages began a sudden attack on the towns of Southern and 
Western Massachusetts. At last, after about two years of 
desperate fighting, in which the loss was very heavy on both 
sides, and many towns were destroyed, Philip's wife, and his 
only son, a lad of nine, were both captured. "Now," said the 
terrible warrior, "my heart breaks. I am ready to die." Shortly 



94 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1677-1692. 

after, Philip was killed at his home at Mount Hope, not far 
from Bristol, Rhode Island. His hands were cut off and 
carried to Boston, and his head to Plymouth, where it stood 
exposed on a pole for twenty years. Many of the Indian 
prisoners were sold as slaves to South America and the West 
Indies. Among them were King Philip's wife and boy. An 
aged minister of West Bridgewater remonstrated against this 
act of cruelty, but without avail. During the war Eliot's " pray- 
ing Indians," as they were called, remained faithful to the whites, 
and were the means of saving many lives among the English 
settlers. With the death of Philip the Indians became dis- 
couraged, their power was broken, and Southern New England 
never again stood in fear of these once powerful tribes. 

89. The Salem Witchcraft. — In 1692 that extraordinary delu- 
sion the Salem witchcraft caused a reign of terror in that 
town. In Great Britain several thousand unfortunate persons 
had suffered death for this alleged crime, and the English 
statute punishing it was not repealed until 1736, or "more 
than forty years after the excitement in New England had 
subsided." The whole matter seems to have originated with a 
few mischief-loving children who accused certain persons of 
tormenting them. Those so charged were tried for witchcraft, 
that is, for being in league with evil spirits, and in all nineteen 
persons were hanged before the terrible error had spent its 
force. Then the good sense of the Massachusetts people as- 
serted itself ; and though in Europe unfortunate old women 
were still occasionally put to death on charges of witchcraft, no 
human life was again sacrificed here on such an accusation. 

90. Massachusetts loses her Charter ; Governor Andros. — But 

before this strange outbreak at Salem occurred, Massachu- 
setts had lost her charter, and was no longer self-governing. 
For many years the king, Charles II., had watched the Puritan 
colony with no friendly eye. It was far too independent 
to suit his arbitrary ideas. The people of Boston were 



1684-1692.] 



SUMMARY. 



95 



accused of breaking the Navigation Laws 1 by both import- 
ing and exporting goods in other than English ships ; they 
had also coined money without royal authority, and had 
given a warm welcome to two of the judges who had sen- 
tenced Charles I. 2 to the scaffold, and then fled to Massachu- 
setts. Furthermore, they were notoriously opposed to the 
Church of England, and were believed to be strongly republi- 
can in their tendencies. 

Charles II. threatened, in view of these facts, to take away 
the charter of the colony. The people protested that they 
had done nothing but what they had a legal right to do. The 
protest had no effect. The charter was withdrawn (1684), 
Massachusetts became a royal province, and from that time 
until the Revolution it was governed by the king and those 
whom the king sent to represent him. 3 

The first royal governor imposed on the colony (1686) was 
Sir Edmund Andros, 4 who had been governor of New York. 
Three years of his tyranny produced a revolt. The people 
took advantage of a revolution in England which forced James 
II. to flee the country : they seized Andros and imprisoned 
him. They then recovered their former power of managing 
their own affairs in their own way, but only for a short time. 

In 1692, William III. of England sent over a new charter, 
which converted Massachusetts, Plymouth, and Maine into one 
province. 5 Henceforth all forms of religion but the Catholic 
were permitted, and the right to vote was no longer confined 
to church-members. But the people had no power to make 
any laws except such as the king approved, and the king 
furthermore continued to appoint the governor. 

91. Summary. — The Separatists, or Pilgrims, settled Plym- 
outh in 1620, and the Puritans settled Boston in 1630. The 
object sought by both was freedom of worship for themselves. 
To all of their own faith they gave a hearty welcome, but they 

1 See Paragraph 56. 3 Charles II. died 1685 ; James II. succeeded him. 

2 See Paragraph 55. 4 Andros (An'dros). 5 With Nova Scotia added. 



g6 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1623-1631. 



regarded others as intruders, and the Puritans did not hesitate 
to drive them out. The colonists of Massachusetts were the 
first settlers in America who assembled in town-meeting and 
established government by the people, and public schools for 
all children. The Pilgrims, for more than half a century, did 
not restrict the right to take part in the government to church- 
members, 1 but the Puritans did. The object of both was to 
build up a strong, free, religious, and intelligent common- 
wealth ; in this they were in great measure successful ; but 
in 1684 they lost the power of making their own laws, and had 
to accept governors appointed by the king. 

V. New Hampshire (1623). 

92. Grant of Territory to Gorges and Mason ; Settlement of 

Dover and Portsmouth Sir Ferdinando Gorges, 2 a friend of 

Sir Walter Raleigh's, 3 obtained, with Captain John Mason, 
a grant 4 of the territory between the Merrimac River and the 
Kennebec. This region was called Maine, or the Mainland ; 5 
but later the name Laconia was given to it because it extended 
back to Lake Champlain and Lake George. 6 

The first settlement, known to be permanent, was made at 
Dover, 7 on the Piscataqua River, by English colonists, prob- 
ably about 1627. Four years later (1631) Portsmouth was 
settled. The chief objects of these colonies were to carry on 
the fur-trade with the Indians and to establish fisheries. Most 

1 Not till 1671, but they excluded Quakers in 1658. 

2 Gorges (Gor'jez). 3 See Paragraph 28. 

4 This grant was obtained from the " Council for New England," an English 
company organized in 1620. 

5 Some have supposed that the name " Maine" was derived from a province of 
France of that name in which Henrietta Maria, queen of Charles I. of England, 
held property ; but the designation Maine, or Mainland, seems to have been given 
to the country to distinguish it from the numerous islands along the shore. 

6 Others consider Laconia to refer to the numerous lakes of that territory, or pos- 
sibly to Lake Ontario, to which some authorities believe the grant originally extended. 

7 A settlement was made at Little Harbor, at the mouth of the Piscataqua, in 
1623, but it is not certain that it was permanent. 



1638-1719.] 



SETTLEMENT OF LONDONDERRY. 



97 



of the inhabitants of the two settlements belonged, in name at 
least, to the Church of England. 

93. Division of the Territory ; New Hampshire ; Exeter. — After 
a few years the proprietors, Mason and Gorges, decided to 
divide the territory. Gorges took the part east of the Piscata- 
q ua — a region now included in the State of Maine ; 1 Mason 
took that west of the same river. He gave it the name of New 
Hampshire 2 in remembrance of the English county of Hamp- 
shire which had once been his home. 

In 1638 the Rev. John Wheelwright 
was banished from Massachusetts for his 
openly expressed sympathy with the re- 
ligious teachings of Mrs. Anne Hutchin- 
son. 3 With several of his congregation 
who had followed him into exile he settled 
the town of Exeter, New Hampshire. 

94. Settlement of Londonderry; Union 
with Massachusetts. — Many years later 
(17 19) several hundred thrifty Scotch- 
Irish 4 emigrants settled Londonderry, 
New Hampshire. 5 They introduced 
the manufacture of linen ; and soon in every log-cabin the 
hum of the housewife's little flax-wheel made cheerful and 
profitable music for the family. 

1 Maine : under the Plymouth Company (see Paragraph 46) an attempt was 
made by Sir George Popham in 160; to found the colony of Popham at the mouth 
of the Kennebec, but the undertaking failed. The first permanent settlement on 
the mainland appears to have been made at Pemaquid Point — about midway be- 
tween the Kennebec and the Penobscot — in 1625. Saco and Biddeford were 
founded in 1630, and Portland in 1632. Massachusetts held control of Maine from 
1652 to 1820, when it was admitted to the Lnion as a State. 

2 New Hampshire and New Vork both claimed the territory of Vermont. New 
York did not give up her claim until after the Revolution. 

3 See Paragraph Si. 4 Scotch Protestants who had settled in the north of Ireland. 
5 Londonderry : the name was given to the settlement by the Scotch Presbyterian 

emigrants who came from Londonderry and vicinity, in the north of Ireland. A 




LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1634. 



One of the descendants of an industrious Scotch settler of 
this class, but who came at an earlier period, was the eminent 
orator, patriot, and statesman, Daniel Webster. 1 

In 1 641 New Hampshire, dreading Indian hostilities, and 
having but a small and scattered population, petitioned for 
union with Massachusetts. The petition was granted. Further- 
more, the citizens of New Hampshire, in accordance with their 
request, were permitted to vote and hold office, without first 
having to prove that they were church-members, as they were 
obliged to do in Massachusetts. 2 In 1679 New Hampshire be- 
came a royal province, 3 and remained So until the Revolution. 

95. Summary. — New Hampshire originally formed part of 
the region called Maine or the Mainland. English colonists 
settled Dover and Portsmouth. Emigrants from Massachu- 
setts, and Scotch-Irish, later founded the towns of Exeter and 
Londonderry. The Scotch-Irish set up the manufacture of 
linen. Eventually New Hampshire was united with Massa- 
chusetts and then became a province of the king. 

VI. Connecticut (1634). 

96. Emigration to the Valley of the Connecticut; Hooker's 
Colony. — The rich lands of the beautiful valley of the Con- 
necticut River 4 early attracted the Dutch of New Amsterdam 5 
and the settlers of Plymouth. Both made an attempt to get 
a foothold on the coveted territory. But emigration did not 

desire to build up an independent community induced the emigrants to come to this 
country. 

1 Mr. Webster was born in 1782, in Salisbury, N. H., about fifty miles northwest 
of Portsmouth. He once said, in a public speech : " It did not happen to me to 
be born in a log-cabin ; but my elder brothers and sisters were born in a log-cabin, 
reared amid the snow-drifts of New Hampshire at a period so early that when the 
smoke first rose from its rude chimney and curled over the frozen hills, there was no 
similar evidence of a white man's habitation between it and the settlements on the 
rivers of Canada." 2 See Paragraph 80. 3 See Paragraph 90. 

4 Connecticut, an Indian word, meaning, as is supposed, The Long River. 

6 See Paragraph 64. 



1635-1637.] 



THE PEQUOT WAR. 



99 



begin in earnest until 1635. Then a number of settlements 
were made, which later united under one government. We shall 
now take up the history of these separate colonies. 

1. In 1635 emigrants from the vicinity of Boston founded 
the towns of Wethersfield and Windsor. 2. In the autumn of 
that year an English company which held a grant of the terri- 
tory sent out John Winthrop, son of Governor Winthrop of 
Boston, with the title of " Governor of the River of Connecti- 
cut." He built a fort at Saybrook, 1 at the mouth of the river, 
and thus effectually shut out the Dutch from that quarter. 

3. The next June (1636) the third movement of emigration 
set in. The Rev. Thomas Hooker of Newtown, now Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts, started with a company of one hundred 
men, women, and children for what was then called "the 
West." They travelled on foot, driving a hundred and sixty 
head of cattle, besides hogs, through the wilderness. There 
were neither roads nor bridges, and the emigrants had to find 
their way by the compass, crossing rivers on rafts, sleeping 
under the stars, and living mainly on the milk of their cows. 

After a journey of two weeks through a country which ex- 
press-trains now cross in three hours, they reached Hartford, 
where a small settlement of English had already been made. 

97. The Pequot War. — The next spring (1637) a legislative 
assembly met at Hartford, and resolved to make war on the 
Pequot 2 Indians, who threatened to destroy the white settlers. 
The three towns of Hartford, Wethersfield, and Windsor con- 
tributed ninety men led by Captain John Mason. The night 
before the expedition started was spent in prayer. The Pequots 
had a fortified village near the present town of Mystic. The 
little army, accompanied by Indians of tribes hostile to the 
Pequots, and with some help from Massachusetts, attacked the 
enemy in their stronghold, and, setting fire to their wigwams, 



1 Saybrook: named in honor of Lords Say and Brook, the two chief proprietors 
of the company. 2 See Paragraph 81, page 88. 



100 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



literally burned them out. The blow was a terrible one to 
the Pequots. From that time they were hunted down like 
wild beasts, until in a few months the tribe was practically 
destroyed. 

§8. The Connecticut Constitution. — In 1639 the inhabitants of 
the three towns of Hartford, Wethersfield, and Windsor met at 
Hartford, and drew up the first written American 1 constitu- 
tion 2 or form of government made "by the people for the 
people." 3 In the words of that document, its object was "to 
maintain the peace and union " of the settlers of the colony. 

One remarkable fact about that compact is that it made no 
mention either of the king of England or of the English com- 
pany which held a royal grant of the Connecticut lands. It 
was in reality the constitution of a republic ; and the men 
who framed it refused to bow to any authority outside or 
above themselves, except that of their Maker. 

One reason why many of the Connecticut emigrants had left 
Massachusetts was that they did not believe in the principle of 
limiting the right of voting to church-members. 4 The Hartford 
constitution imposed no such restriction, every citizen was polit- 
ically equal with every other, and there was nothing to hinder 
his taking part in making the laws. To-day not only the United 
States but every State in the Union has a written constitution 
— a safeguard of liberty — similar in that respect to the one 
drafted at Hartford in 1639. That, then, may be called the 
parent of all that have followed. 

1 See Virginia Constitution of 1621,-page 60. 

2 Constitution : For the same reason that a game of ball cannot be played suc- 
cessfully without some rules to govern it, so, whenever a number of people join to 
form a community or a state, they must have some form of agreement or principle of 
union. Such an agreement is a constitution of government. Its object is to secure 
individual liberty on the one hand, and order on the other. The advantage of hav- 
ing such an agreement in writing is that it can be readily consulted ; and misunder- 
standings and disputes about its meaning and application are less likely to occur 
than if it was not so preserved. 4 See Paragraph 80. 

3 Bancroft's United States (rev. ed.), I. 270. 



1638-1639.] 



THE FUGITIVE REGICIDES. 



101 



99. The New Haven Colony ; Scripture Laws. — There were now 
two colonies in the territory : First, that at Saybrook, 1 and 
next that of the , , 



towns settled by 
the different bands 
of emigrants who 
had come into the 
Connecticut Val- 
ley. In 1638 a 
third colony, that 
of New Haven, 




was founded. It 1 1 

was made up chiefly of people who had arrived at Boston from 
London the year before. One of its leading men was the 
Rev. John Davenport, a Puritan minister. The spring after 
they formed the settlement (1639) au " tne colonists met in a 
large barn to listen to a sermon from Mr. Davenport and draw 
up rules for the government of the new community. What those 
rules were we can guess from the old verse which tells us how 

" They in Newman's barn laid down 
Scripture foundations for the town." 

Those "Scripture foundations," a few years later, made the 
severe Jewish laws of the Old Testament 2 those of New Haven. 
None could vote or hold any public office but members of the 
church. It was practically the same kind of government as 
that of Massachusetts. 

100. The Fugitive Regicides ; Andros and the Connecticut Charter. 

— These stern New Haven colonists believed heartily in jus- 

1 Saybrook: this settlement remained an independent colony until 1644, when it 
was united with the colony of Connecticut. 

2 In 1644 " the judicial laws of God, as they were delivered by Moses," were de- 
clared to be binding. Like the laws of Massachusetts, they inflicted the penalty of 
death for no less than fourteen offences. They were, however, far more merciful than 
the laws of England, which at a very much later period made upwards of two hundred 
crimes punishable with death — sheep-stealing being one. 



102 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1661-1687. 



tice, and hated royal oppression. In 1661 Whalley and Goffe, 
two of the judges then known as "regicides," because, during 
the English Civil War (1649), tn ey had voted to put the 
tyrannical Charles I. to death, fled to New Haven. 

King Charles II. sent orders to arrest them. Davenport con- 
cealed the judges, and preached to his congregation from a pas- 
sage of the Bible 1 containing the words, "Hide the outcasts; 
betray not him that wandereth." 

The sermon had the effect intended, and the disappointed 
officers went back without capturing the regicides. 2 

Charles II., who was not unfriendly to the colony, had granted 
to the Connecticut people a charter confirming their right of 
self-government. By that charter the territory was extended 
westward to the Pacific, or one-eighth the circumference of the 
globe, though no one then had any idea of the actual width of 
the continent. Saybrook had already been united with Con- 
necticut, and New Haven was now joined to it. When James 
II. came to the throne he determined to take away the charters 
of Connecticut and Rhode Island, as his brother, Charles II., 
had done in the case of Massachusetts. His object was to 
bring them directly under his despotic control. Sir Edmund 
Andros 3 was made governor of New England, and demanded 
the surrender of the Connecticut charter. In 1687 he went 
with a body of troops to Hartford to get it. 

The Connecticut people looked upon that document as the 
title-deed of their liberties, and were resolved never to give it up. 

Andros met the legislature, and discussed the matter until 
evening. At his order, the precious charter was at last brought 
in, in a box, and placed on the table. Then, according to tra- 
dition, the candles were suddenly blown out, and when they 

1 Isaiah xvi. 3-4. 3 See Paragraph 90. 

2 According to tradition, Goffe saved the town of Hadley, Mass. (where he was 
living concealed in 1675), m an Indian attack during King Philip's War. The sav- 
ages were on the point of gaining the day, when a venerable man with a long white 
beard suddenly appeared, rallied the inhabitants, and drove off the assailants. He 
then disappeared. Some thought they owed their victory to an angel. 



1634.] 



THE CATHOLIC PILGRIMS. 



I03 



were relighted the charter had disappeared. It is said to have 
been hidden in a hollow oak not far off, which was ever after 
known as the Charter Oak. 1 

Andros, however, declared that the colony should no longer 
be governed under the charter, and, to show that the end had 
come, he ordered the clerk to write "Finis" 2 at the close of 
the record of the meeting. When the people of Boston 3 com- 
pelled Andros to give up the power he had abused, the charter 
was produced, and Connecticut maintained her government 
under it not only until the Revolution, but for many years 
afterward (18 18). 

101. Summary. — Connecticut was settled chiefly by emi- 
grants from Eastern Massachusetts and from England. It 
was the first colony in America to frame a written constitu- 
tion of government — one which gave the right of voting to 
every citizen. The king granted the colony a charter confirm- 
ing their power of governing themselves. Governor Andros, 
by the order of James II., tried to get possession of the char- 
ter but failed. Except for a very short period, Connecticut 
practically continued to maintain her own laws. 

VII. Maryland (1634). 

102. The Catholic Pilgrims ; Lord Baltimore ; Maryland. — We 

have seen how a band of Protestant Pilgrims 4 settled Plym- 
outh in 1620; fourteen years later (1634) a company of Cath- 
olic Pilgrims came to America for a like reason — that they 
might build up a state where they could worship God without 
molestation. 5 

1 The famous Charter Oak stood in what is now Charter Oak Place, Hartford. 
It was blown down in 1856. The spot is marked by a marble tablet. 

2 Finis : a Latin word (the end), formerly put at the end of books. 

3 See Paragraph 90. 4 See Paragraph 71. 

5 The English law imposed the ruinous fine of twenty pounds a month — a sum equal 
to not less than $700 to $800 now — on every Catholic who refused to attend the services 
of the Church of England. This law was not always strictly enforced, but large sums 
were frequently extorted by the government from the Catholics by way of compromise. 



104 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1634. 



George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, a Catholic nobleman of ex- 
cellent ability and high standing, resolved to provide a refuge 
in the New World for the persecuted people of his faith. From 
his friend King Charles I. he obtained the promise of a grant 
of land in Northern Virginia. Lord Baltimore died before the 
charter was completed, but his son, Cecil Calvert, the second 
Lord Baltimore, received the grant. It made him practically 
all but king over a territory north of the Potomac, to which 
Charles I. gave the name of Maryland, in honor of his queen, 
who was herself a Catholic. 1 

103. The Settlement of St. Mary's ; the Wigwam Church. — In 

the spring of 1634 a colony of about three hundred persons 
led by Governor Leonard Calvert, — a younger brother of the 
second Lord Baltimore, — landed on the northern bank of the 
Potomac, near its mouth, and founded 
the town of St. Mary's. 2 About twenty 
of the colonists were gentlemen of wealth 
and standing, — most of them probably 
Catholics — the rest of the emigrants 
were laborers, and seem to have been 
chiefly Protestants. Father White, 3 a 
priest who accompanied the expedition, 
had no sooner landed than he got per- 
mission from an Indian chief to convert 
his wigwam into a chapel. This hut 
was the first English Catholic church in 
America. Virginia would not have per- 
mitted that church to stand; New Eng- 

1 Henriette-Marie of France, commonly called Henrietta Maria. The charter gave 
the territory the Latin name of Terra Marice, or Mary's Land (Marie, the queen's 
name meaning the same as Mary in English). Maryland included not only the 
present State, but also Delaware and part of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. 

2 St. Mary's : this name was probably given because the colonists had celebrated 
a festival (the Annunciation) of the Virgin Mary two days before. 

3 Father White was the historian of the expedition, and has given us the first 
account of the settlement. 




1649.] THE CLAYBORNE AND INGLE REBELLION. 105 

land would not. It was only in the wilderness of Maryland, 
in that mixed population of Catholics and Protestants, that it 
was safe. 

104. Political and Religious Freedom of the Colony. — From the 
beginning all the colonists took part in making the laws by 
which they were governed, and in a few years Lord Baltimore 
granted them the power of originating those laws. In religion 
absolute freedom of worship was given to all Christians, 1 but 
to Christians only. No other colony in this country then 
enjoyed such liberty, and it was almost unknown in Europe. 
In 1649 this liberty was confirmed by a Toleration Act. 2 

The result was that Maryland became a refuge not only for 
the oppressed Catholics of England, but also for many of the 
oppressed Protestants of the other colonies of America. Puri- 
tans driven out of Virginia, Quakers exiled from Massachusetts, 
both came to Maryland and found homes there, and in 1649 
a Puritan settlement was formed at Providence, since named 
Annapolis. 3 

105. The Clayborne and Ingle Rebellion; Lord Baltimore's Gov- 
ernment overthrown ; Persecution of the Catholics. — The colony, 
however, was not to enjoy the peace for which it hoped. Before 
Lord Baltimore received his charter, William Clayborne, an in- 
fluential Virginian, had established a thriving settlement and 
trading-post 4 on Kent Island in Chesapeake Bay. He refused 
to recognize the authority of Governor Calvert and endeavored 
to hold the island by force, but was driven out. When the 

1 It is true that Lord Baltimore, holding his charter, as he did, from the Protes- 
tant sovereign of a Protestant nation, could not have safely denied liberty of worship 
to Protestants ; but it is also true that he evidently had no desire in his heart to deny 
such liberty. The fact that he invited Puritans into the colony and protected them 
from persecution, shows the man's true spirit. 

2 The Toleration Act of 1649 declared that no person professing belief in Jesus 
Christ shall be " in any ways troubled, molested, or discountenanced, for or in respect 
of his or her religion, nor in the free exercise thereof." This law did not protect 
those who denied the doctrine of the Trinity. 3 From Queen Anne of England. 

4 For carrying on the fur trade with the Indians. 



106 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1645-1689. 



Civil War 1 broke out in England, the colonists of Maryland, 
like the people of Great Britain, took sides for or against the 
king. 

Taking advantage of this division, Clayborne stirred up a 
rebellion (1645), and kept the whole country in a turmoil for 
two or three years. Captain Ingle, who asserted that he acted 
under the authority of the Puritan Parliament of England, but 
who was practically a pirate, got possession of St. Mary's. He 
plundered it, and seizing "the venerable Father White," sent 
him to England in irons on a groundless charge of treason 
against the Parliament of that country. 

But worse was to come. After the king was dethroned and 
executed, and a republic set up in England, the authorities 
there sent commissioners to compel the people of Maryland to 
swear fidelity to the new government. At the same time Lord 
Baltimore insisted that as Maryland was his property the set- 
tlers should swear fidelity to him. The Puritans in the colony 
objected to taking this last oath, on the ground that Lord 
Baltimore was a Catholic. 

The commissioners went to Maryland, forced the governor 2 
to resign, and put one of their own choice in his place. They 
then caused a General Assembly to be summoned at St. Mary's, 
but ordered that no Catholic should be elected to it, or should 
cast a vote for any representative. The new legislature re- 
pealed the Toleration Act of 1649, which granted religious 
freedom to all Christians. In its place they enacted a law 
prohibiting Catholic worship throughout Maryland. 

Furthermore the Assembly declared that Lord Baltimore no 
longer had any rights whatever in the colony he himself had 
founded, and to which he had invited many of the very people 
who now turned against him. Such action must have reminded 
him of the story of the camel that begged shelter in his master's 
tent, and, when he had got it, kicked the owner out. 

1 See Paragraph 55. 

2 Governor Stone, Governor Calvert's successor. 



1689-1767.] MARYLAND RESTORED TO LORD BALTIMORE. TO/ 

106. Lord Baltimore restored to his Rights ; Loss of the Charter. 

— But about four years later (1658), Parliament restored Lord 
Baltimore to his rights. Freedom of worship was again estab- 
lished and for the next thirty years the colony prospered. 

Meanwhile England had again become a monarchy, and in 
1689 William and Mary, who were pledged to support the 
Protestant cause, came to the throne. 

In Maryland there was an unavoidable delay on the part of 
the governor in proclaiming the new sovereigns. The enemies 
of Lord Baltimore circulated the report that this delay was part 
of a plot, and that the Catholics of Maryland — who were now 
not nearly so numerous as the Protestants — had conspired 
with the Indians to massacre all the people of the colony not 
of their faith. 

The story was wickedly false, but many of the Protestants 
were so foolish as to believe it. They rose in revolt, and in 
consequence the new king thought it wise to take the govern- 
ment of the province into his own hands. "The best men 
and the best Protestants" of the colony stood up for Lord 
Baltimore, but without avail. 

107. Establishment of the Church of England; Restoration of 
Maryland to Lord Baltimore; Mason and Dixon's Line. — The 

Church of England was now established as the government 
church in Maryland, and every taxpayer, no matter what his 
religion, had to pay forty pounds of tobacco yearly towards 
its support. The Catholic worship was not again allowed to 
be openly observed until Maryland became independent. 

In 1 715, on the death of the third Lord Baltimore, his son, 
who had become a Protestant, was made proprietor and gov- 
ernor of Maryland. He and his descendants held it until the 
Revolution (1776). Meanwhile (1729), the city of Baltimore 
was founded, and named in honor of the originator of the colony. 

In 1682 William Penn founded the colony of Philadelphia, 
in Pennsylvania, and from that time for many years there were 



108 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1636. 

bitter disputes about the boundary between that Province and 
Maryland. At length Mason and Dixon, two eminent English 
surveyors, were employed (i 763-1 767) to establish a boundary 
that would be satisfactory to both colonies. 

They ran a line from the northeast corner of Maryland due 
west nearly three hundred miles. At every fifth mile a stone 
was set up having the coat-of-arms of William Penn cut on the 
north side and that of Lord Baltimore on the south. That line 
became one of the most famous boundaries in the country, for 
it eventually marked the division between the free and the 
slave states, formed from the original thirteen which entered 
the Union. 

108. Summary. — The colony of Maryland was planted by 
Lord Baltimore, an English Catholic. He, first in America, 
established freedom of worship for all Christians. The peace 
of the colony was interrupted by civil war, and enemies of 
Lord Baltimore, joining with Puritan settlers, who had come 
in, overthrew the government and forbade the exercise of the 
Catholic religion. Lord Baltimore succeeded after a time in 
regaining his power and again granted freedom of worship ; 
but finally the king took possession of the province and com- 
pelled the people to maintain the Church of England until 
the Revolution — though the government of the colony was 
eventually restored to the Baltimore family, who had become 
Protestants. 

VIII. Rhode Island (1636). 

109. Roger "Williams seeks Refuge among the Indians ; settles 
Providence. — When in 1636 Roger Williams fled from Massa- 
chusetts 1 into the wilderness, his situation was one of extreme 
peril. It was midwinter and the snow was deep. Williams 
was in feeble health and a wanderer in a trackless forest. 
Fortunately he had made the Indians his friends and could 

1 See Paragraph 81. 



1636-1639.] 



PROVIDENCE FOUNDED. 



109 



speak their language. The exile made his way to the hos- 
pitable wigwam of the chief Massasoit, 1 at the head of Xarra- 
gansett Bay. There he found a home till spring. 

Then with live friends, who had joined him from Massachu- 
setts, he went to the Seekonk River 2 and built a cabin on its 
eastern bank. Word was sent to him that the place he had 
chosen was under the control of Plymouth colony. Such a 
message meant that he and his companions must move on. 
Crossing the river a little lower down, in a canoe, they were 
hailed by some Indians who were standing on a flat ledge of 
rock on the western bank.' 3 "What cheer? " 4 cried the friendly 
red men to the wanderers. 

This welcome from the natives led Williams and his friends 
to land for a short time. Then, guided perhaps by what the 
Indians told them, they paddled down the river a little distance, 
rounded the point, and again landed at the foot of some rising 
ground, where they found a spring of excellent water. Here 
( 1636; they deter- 
mined to stay and 
build homes for 
themselves. Out of 
gratitude to "God's 
merciful Provi- 
dence to him in 
his distress " Roger 
Williams gave to 
the place the ap- 
propriate name of Providence. There he, with others, founded 
(1639) the first Baptist church in America. To-day Provi- 

1 See Paragraph 76. 

2 Seekonk River : it flows into the Providence River on the east side of the city 
of Providence. 

3 M Slate Rock" or What Cheer Rock." on the eastern side of the city of Provi- 
dence, foot of Power Street. 

4 " What cheer ? " : an English salutation the Indians had learned from the whites. 
It meant How do you do ? or. How are you? 




IIO LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1636-1638. 



dence ranks as the second city of New England in population 
and wealth. In Roger Williams's case banishment did not 
mean destruction, but growth and increased influence. 



1 10. Williams establishes a Colony ; Liberty of Conscience ; Growth 
of the Principle. — Williams had at first no intention of founding 
an independent colony ; his main thought was to build up a 
mission for the conversion of the Indians. But others came 
and the town of Providence took firm root. From the begin- 
ning entire freedom of conscience was given to every settler. 
Maryland 1 had granted such liberty to all Christians, but the 
colony of Providence did not limit it, — not Protestants and 
Catholics only, but Jews — yes, unbelievers even were pro- 
tected, and thus men of all religions and of no religion were 
safe from* molestation so long as they behaved themselves. 

In all other colonies of America, as in every country of 
Europe, the government favored some particular worship, and 
in some degree compelled people to maintain it and conform 
to it. But here there was nothing of the kind. Roger Wil- 
liams first laid down and put in actual practice what we may 
call the American principle — that is, that government has 
nothing whatever to do with the control of religious belief. 

That idea was so new and strange that the other colonies 
thought it false and dangerous, and predicted that it would 
soon die out. Instead of that it steadily grew and spread, 
until in time it became a part of the Constitution of the 
United States, and there we read this sentence, which Roger 
Williams himself might have written, " Congress shall make no 
law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free 
exercise thereof." 2 

in. Settlement of Rhode Island ; theCharter. — In 1638 William 
Coddington of Massachusetts, with Mrs. Anne Hutchinson 3 

1 See Paragraph 104. 3 See Paragraph 81. 

2 Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, Article I. ; compare also 
Article VI. of the Constitution : u No religious test shall ever be required as a quali- 
fication to any office or public trust under the United States." 



1638-1842.] 



NEW SWEDEN. 



I I I 



and a few others, in sympathy with the founder of Providence, 
bought the island of Rhode Island 1 and there planted the col- 
ony of Portsmouth and then that of Newport. A few years 
after, another colony was planted at Warwick, south of Prov- 
idence. In 1644 Williams went to England and got a charter 
which united these colonies into a province and gave them 
full power to rule themselves by such form of government as 
they thought best. That charter was confirmed by a second, 
issued not quite twenty years later, and though Andros, 2 when 
made governor of New England, tried hard to get possession 
of it, yet Rhode Island kept it as her form of government 
until long after the Revolution (1842). Rhode Island always 
remained true to the principle of "soul liberty," first success- 
fully put in practice by Roger Williams ; and though at one 
time Catholics and Jews were not allowed to vote, 3 yet they had 
full freedom of worship, and not a single blot of religious per- 
secution rests on the fair pages of the history of the colony. 

During the Revolution every male citizen between the ages 
of sixteen and sixty stood ready to fight for independence. 

112. Summary. — Roger Williams, an exiled minister from 
Massachusetts, with others, colonized Rhode Island and first 
established entire freedom of worship in this country. That 
principle now forms part of the Constitution of the United 
States. 

IX. New Sweden, or Delaware (1638). 

113. The Swedes plant a Colony on the Delaware; it is captured 
by the Dutch. — The names of the first European colonies in 
America were generally expressive of ambition, youth, and 
hope. The kingdoms of the Old World seemed resolved to 
establish still grander kingdoms in the New. The Spaniards 

1 Rhode Island : a name given to it apparently from its supposed resemblance to 
the Isle of Rhodes in the Mediterranean, though some accounts state that it was 
because the Dutch called it Rood or Red Hand. 

2 See Paragraph 100. 3 On this point see Winsor's " America," III. 379, 380. 



I 12 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1638-1681. 



had founded a New Spain ; 1 the French a New France ; 2 the 
Dutch, or Netherlander, a New Netherland ; 3 the English a 
New England. 

In 1638 the Swedes, animated by a like feeling, endeavored 
to begin here a New Sweden. That year their government 
sent over a colony of "plain, strong, industrious people," who 
landed on the western bank of what is now known as the 
Delaware River. 4 

At a point near where Wilmington now stands the emigrants 
built a fort which they named Christina in honor of young 
Queen Christina of Sweden. 

But the dream of a New Sweden was 
not to be realized. The Dutch had 
attempted to settle Delaware in 1629 ; 
they claimed the territory; and in 1654 
Governor Stuyvesant 5 came with a fleet 
from New Amsterdam, 6 captured the 
country, and sent home those of the 
colonists who would not swear fidelity 
to the Dutch government. 

114. The English take the Country; 
the State of Delaware. — The Dutch had 
been in possession of the land a little over ten years when 
the English Duke of York seized it (1665), as he had 
already seized that on the Hudson. 7 After holding it for a 
considerable length of time he sold it (1681) to William 
Penn. Penn called the country "The Territories," or "The 

1 New Spain. This name was given by the Spaniards to Mexico, but Florida 
was also sometimes called so. 

2 Canada was also known by the name of New France. 

3 New Netherland (New York). See Paragraph 61. 

4 Henry Hudson called this river the South River, to distinguish it from the 
North or Hudson River. In 161 1 Lord Delaware, then governor of Virginia, was 
driven, when on shipboard, to take refuge in this river in a violent storm. After his 
death the English named the river, from him, the Delaware. 5 See Paragraph 64. 

6 New Amsterdam, or New York City. See Paragraph 64. 




1663.] 



CAROLINA. 



113 



Three Lower Counties on the Delaware." Up to the Revolu- 
tion it was considered a part of Pennsylvania, and was under 
the control of the governor of that province, although after a 
time (1703) the people — among whom were many English 
Quakers and Welsh — obtained the privilege of having a 
legislature of their own. 

In 1776, when the war against Great Britain broke out, the 
inhabitants of " The Territories " declared themselves a free 
and independent state, and took the name of Delaware from 
the river which forms their northeastern boundary. 

Though the smallest of all the states, save Rhode Island, 
Delaware was foremost in accepting the National Constitution 
(1787), and was therefore the first to enter the American 
Union. On that roll of honor her name leads all the rest. 

115. Summary. — This colony, settled by the Swedes as New 
Sweden, was taken by the Dutch, and then by the English, 
who sold it to William Penn. He governed it as part of 
Pennsylvania. When it became independent it took the name 
Delaware. After the Revolution it was the first state to adopt 
the Constitution of the United States. 

X.-XI. North and South Carolina (1663). 

116. Grant of Carolina; First Settlements. — In 1663 Charles 
II. of England granted an immense tract of land south of Vir- 
ginia to a company composed of Lord Clarendon and seven 
associates. 1 Out of compliment to the king the territory was 
called Carolina. 2 On the coast it embraced the entire region 

1 The Company consisted of i. The Earl of Clarendon, Lord High Chancellor 
of England ; 2. General Monk, Duke of Albemarle ; 3. Ashley Cooper, Lord Shaftes- 
bury; 4. Lord Craven; 5. Sir John Colleton; 6. Sir George Carteret; 7. Lord 
Berkeley ; 8. Sir William Berkeley, governor of Virginia. Albemarle Sound, North 
Carolina, and the Ashley and Cooper Rivers in South Carolina, derive their names 
from those of two of the persons above mentioned. 

2 Carolina : the name was originally given to the country by Charles IX. of France 
at the time of the attempted French settlements, and was retained out of honor to 



114 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1663-1680. 



now included in the states of North and South Carolina, 
Georgia, and a part of Florida ; westward it extended to the 

Pacific. 1 

At the time of the 
making of the grant 
there were a few 
planters and farm- 
ers in the northern 
part of Carolina. 
They had moved in 
from Virginia, and 
taken land on the 
Chowan River and 
the coast of Albe- 
marle Sound near it. 
By direction of the 
Company these set- 
tlers were formed into a colony (1663) called Albemarle. 
Shortly after (1664) a second colony, named Clarendon, in 
honor of Lord Clarendon, was organized on Cape Fear River, 
some twenty or thirty miles from its mouth. The colonists 
were English planters from the West Indies. 

117. Settlement of Charleston; the Huguenots. — The first set- 
tlement direct from England was made in 1670 when two 
ship-loads of emigrants sent by the Company landed in the 
southern part of Carolina, on the western bank of the Ashley 
River, 2 a short distance from the sea. 

Ten years later (1680) the colonists moved across to the 

the English king Charles II. The name was derived from Carolus, Latin for 
Charles. It was customary for kings to employ the Latin form for their names. 

1 By his first grant (1663) Charles gave all the territory lying between the St. 
John's River, Florida, and a point on the coast just south of the present boundary 
of Virginia. In 1665 the king extended the grant one degree farther south, and half 
a degree farther north, or from 30 to 36 30' north latitude. This would mnke the 
original territory of Carolina reach from Virginia almost to St. Augustine, Florida. 

2 Ashley : see note 1 to Paragraph 116. 



V A . R G I X I A 




~pk , SCALE OF MILES , 

\ 5u 1 'j o 200 



1670.] 



THE " GRAND MODEL." 



US 



peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper 1 Rivers, and there 
laid the foundations of the city of Charleston. 2 

From the outset the Company granted religious liberty to 
all colonists. One of the results of that wise policy was that 
many Huguenots 3 or French Protestants fled to Carolina to 
escape the terrible persecution to which they were subject in 
their native land. 4 No better class of emigrants could have 
been desired. They represented not only the best bone and 
sinew, but the best intellect and conscience of France. They 
brought with them that power and influence which spring not 
from rank or money, but from character. 

A hundred years later two of the descendants of those 
South Carolina Huguenots — Henry Laurens, the statesman, 5 
and General Marion, the noble Revolutionary leader — won 
imperishable renown by their services in the cause of American 
liberty. 

118. The " Grand Model " ; Division of the Territory into North 
and South Carolina. — Meantime (1670) the eminent English 
philosopher, John Locke, and Lord Shaftesbury, one of the 
prominent members of the Company, had drafted a constitu- 
tion for Carolina. Its authors and their friends believed it to 
be the most perfect work of the kind ever produced by the 
human mind. It was called the "Grand Model," and the 
members of the Company declared when they signed it, that 
it would remain "the sacred and unalterable form and rule of 
government forever." 

1 Cooper: see note i to Paragraph 116. 

2 The first settlement was called Charles Town, in honor of King Charles II. 
After the colonists had moved across to the peninsula they still retained the name, 
but in time it became shortened to Charleston. 3 Huguenots : see Paragraph 23. 

4 On the persecution of the Huguenots by Louis XIV., see ' ; The Leading Facts 
of French History," in this series. 

5 Henry Laurens : he was the fourth president of the Continental Congress (1777), 
and was one of the commissioners sent to Paris to sign the Treaty of Peace with 
Great Britain at the close of the Revolution. 

6 General Marion : he was one of the heroes of the War of Independence. His epi- 
taph declares with entire truth that he " lived without fear, and died without reproach." 



Il6 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1670-1693. 

The "Grand Model " established a nobility who practically 
held all power. It also set up courts of justice intended to 
regulate everything from the gravest questions of law down to 
the cut of a man's coat, or the trimming of a woman's bonnet. 

But there w'as one omission in this model constitution : it 
gave the common people — the very class that had begun to 
settle Carolina — no rights. They were not permitted to vote ; 
they were not to hold landed property ; nay, more, they were 
not even at liberty to leave the soil they tilled, without per- 
mission from the nobleman who owned it. When a wealthy 
planter bought a tract of land in Carolina it was expected that 
he would purchase the white settlers on it — they, like the trees 
and the stones, were considered to be part of the estate. 

But the inhabitants of the territory decidedly objected to the 
"Grand Model." They were resolved to own themselves, to 
own the labor of their hands, to own all the land they could 
honestly buy, and lastly, to make their own laws. After twenty 
years of contest they succeeded; and the boasted constitution, 
that was to last "forever," was given up: it had never really 
been in operation at all. In 17 12 the province was divided 
into North and South Carolina, 1 and from that time until the 
Declaration of Independence (1776) each was subject to a 
governor appointed by the king. 

119. Growth of the Two Colonies ; Introduction of Rice and Indigo 
Culture; Charleston. — The growth of North Carolina was very 
slow. Quite a number of industrious and liberty-loving Scotch, 
Irish, and Swiss emigrated to the province; but the population 
was scattered, and the manufacture of pitch, tar, and turpen- 
tine, which was the principal occupation, did not tend to build 
up large towns. 

In South Carolina, Charleston made little progress for the 
first fifteen or twenty years. Up to that time there was no 
great leading industry, and but little commerce. In 1693 an 

1 Some authorities make the date of division 1729. 



1741-1773.] 



RICE AND INDIGO. 



117 



event occurred which produced a decided change. That year 
the captain of a vessel from Madagascar gave the governor of 
the colony a small bag of rice to plant, as an experiment. The 
grain grew luxuriantly, and the governor distributed the crop 
among the farmers in the vicinity of Charleston. They began 
its culture, and soon the few pounds of seed had multiplied 
to thousands ; the thousands gradually increased to millions, 
and in time South Carolina became, what it still continues to 
be, the largest rice-producing and rice-exporting state in the 
Union. 

The next great source of wealth was the introduction and 
cultivation of the indigo plant. About half a century (1741) 
after the first rice had been sown, the daughter of Governor 
Lucas 1 planted a little indigo on her father's plantation near 
Charleston. The frost killed it, so that it never came up. She 
planted again. The seed came up, but worms destroyed the 
plants. Not to be discouraged, she tried the experiment a 
third time, and was successful. To the colonists the news of 
her crop — small as it was — was like the report of the discov- 
ery of a gold mine. Indigo then brought in Europe some- 
times a dollar and a half a pound ; and shortly before the 
Revolution Charleston exported over a million pounds in a 
single year. 2 Later, cotton 3 was found to be more profitable 
than indigo even, and so the culture of that plant was given up. 

The result of this lucrative commerce in rice and indigo was 
that the city grew rapidly in population and wealth until it 
became the metropolis of the South. In 1773 Josiah Quincy 
of Boston visited Charleston, and was so impressed with its 
general appearance and its commercial activity that he wrote : 
" In almost everything it far surpasses all I ever saw, or ever 
expected to see in America." 4 

1 Governor Lucas : governor in the West Indies ; his home was in Carolina. 

2 Indigo is largely used for dyeing cloths blue. 

3 Cotton did not become profitable until Whitney invented the cotton-gin in 1793. 
Its culture will be considered when that period is reached. 

4 Josiah Quincy Jr.'s Journal, 1773. 



I 1 8 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1681. 

120. Summary. — Carolina, which was eventually divided 
into North and South Carolina, was settled by emigrants from 
Virginia, by English and also by Huguenots or French Prot- 
estants. General Marion of the Revolution was a descendant 
from a Huguenot family. The English Company owning the 
province undertook to govern it by a constitution called -the 
"Grand Model," but the people refused to accept it and insisted 
on governing themselves. North Carolina engaged in the man- 
ufacture of tar, pitch, and turpentine; South Carolina began the 
culture of rice and indigo, both of which proved enormously 
profitable. At the time of the Revolution Charleston was one 
of the chief cities of America. 

XII. Pennsylvania (1681). 

121. Grant of Pennsylvania to William Penn; the " Holy Experi- 
ment." — Charles II. owed William Penn, the most influential 
of the English Friends, or Quakers, 1 a large sum of money. 
As that good-natured but extravagant monarch always con- 
tracted as many debts as possible and paid as few, Penn sug- 
gested to his majesty that he might easily settle his claim by 
granting him a tract of land in America. The proposition 
pleased the king, and he gave Penn a territory of forty- 
eight thousand square miles fronting on the Delaware River. 
Charles named this vast region, which was nearly as large as 
the whole of England, 2 Pennsylvania, 3 or Penn's Woods. 

In those woods the proprietor resolved to begin what he 
called his "Holy Experiment." That experiment consisted 
in establishing a "free colony," or Christian community, on 
the basis of that Golden Rule which commands us to do unto 
others as we wish them to do unto us. The Quaker founder 
thought that even the North American savages could under- 
stand that principle, and would let the people who practised it 

1 Friends, or Quakers : see Paragraph 85. 

2 The area of England, not including Wales, is about 50,000 square miles. 

3 Pennsylvania : from Penn and the Latin word sylva, a wood. 



1681-1683.] 



PHILADELPHIA. 



119 



grow up in peace. The king suggested that the savages would 
be more likely to respect a well-armed regiment of soldiers ; 
but Penn had no faith in the virtues of gunpowder, and would 
not send so much as a single musket to protect his colony. 

122 . Emigration to Pennsylvania ; Philadelphia ; Landing at New- 
castle. — The first emigrants were sent out under the charge of 
Penn's commissioners in 1681. They appear to have spent 
the winter on the western bank of the Delaware at a Swedish 
settlement which was subsequently named Chester. The fol- 
lowing year (1682) Penn himself sailed with a company of a 
hundred English Quakers, to found the city of Philadelphia, 1 
or Brotherly Love. The location had already been selected 
by Penn's commissioners, in accordance with instructions 
which he had given them. The city 
was planned by its founder before he 
left England. It is said that not even 
a thousand dollars have since had to 
be spent in straightening or widening 
streets, — that work having been done 
once for all in Penn's orderly brain be- 
fore the first house was built in 1683. 

Penn landed at Newcastle, in what 
is now Delaware. That territory he 
had purchased of the Duke of York, 2 
so that it then formed part of Penn- 
sylvania. The whole population of the 
region gathered to welcome him and to witness the interesting 
ceremony of his taking possession of his vast estate. First, a 
piece of turf was handed to Penn — that meant that he owned 
the land and all that grew on it; next, a dish filled from the 
Delaware River was given to him — that signified that he 
owned the water; finally, the key of the fort was solemnly 
presented to him — that act completed the transfer, for it 




1 A Bible name : see Rev. iii. 7-8. 



2 See Paragraph 114. 



120 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1682. 



acknowledged his right to hold both land and water by mili- 
tary force. 

123. The "Great Law." — Less than two months after that, 
Penn called an assembly at Chester, and he with the people 
enacted the "Great Law." 

That constitution had a twofold foundation — liberty of the 
people to make their own laws, and obedience to the laws 
they had made ; for, said Penn, " Liberty without obedience 
is confusion, and obedience without liberty is slavery." 

By the "Great Law " it was provided : 1. That all colonists 
should be protected in their worship of God, but that no one 
should be compelled to support or attend any form of worship 
against his will. 1 2. That all resident tax-payers should have 
the right to vote, and that every member of any Christian 
church might hold office and become a member of the legisla- 
tive assembly. 2 3. That every child, after reaching the age of 
twelve, should be brought up to some trade or useful occupa- 
tion. 4. That the death penalty should be inflicted for two 
crimes 3 only, — murder and treason, 4 — and, for the first time 
in the history of the world, it was further ordered that every 
prison should be made a workshop and a place of reformation. 5 

124. The Great Treaty ; Growth and Importance of Philadelphia. 

— Penn's next act (1682) 6 was a treaty with the Indians. 

1 No person believing in God and living peaceably and justly " shall in any wise 
be molested/' The Great Law, Section i, Hazard's " Annals of Pennsylvania." 

2 This is according to Section 65 of The Great Laiv ; but Section 2 of the same 
would appear to limit the right to elect members to the assembly to " such as profess 
and declare they believe in Jesus Christ." 

3 On the number of crimes then punishable with death in England, see note 2 on 
page 101. 

4 Treason : that is, an open and deliberate attempt to overturn the government by 
force of arms. 

5 The prisons of Europe at that time were dens of idleness and disorder. Instead 
of reforming the criminal they often taught him new crimes, so that he usually ca 
out of his place of confinement actually worse than he entered it. 

6 See Hazard's Pennsylvania, p. 635 ; but some authorities fix the date at 1683, 
and consider the treaty to have covered the purchase of lands. 



1682.] 



THE GREAT TREATY 



121 



According to tradition he met the Red Men under the branches 
of a wide-spreading elm in what was then the vicinity of Phila- 
delphia. 1 There solemn promises of mutual friendship were 
made. In accordance, 
however, with the prin- 
ciples of the Quaker faith, 
no oaths were taken. 
Each trusted to the other's 
simple word. That treaty 
was "never broken," 2 and 
for sixty years, or as long 
as the Quakers held con- 
trol, the people of Pennsyl- 
vania lived at peace with 
the natives. The tree un- 
der which that memorable 
transaction took place no 
longer stands, but its site is marked by a monument. The 
Indian record of the treaty — a belt of wampum representing 
Penn 3 and the chief clasping hands — is still preserved. 4 

1 The treaty was made at Kensington, in the northeastern part of the city. The 
Treaty Elm was blown down in 1810. So great was the regard for the old tree 
that during the Revolution, when the British forces occupied Philadelphia, General 
Simcoe, their commander, stationed a sentinel under it to prevent his soldiers from 
cutting it down for firewood. The monument marking the spot where it stood is on 
the west side of Beach Street, north of Columbia Street, Kensington. 

2 Voltaire, the French historian, said that it was " the only treaty which was 
never sworn to, and never broken " ; but this was true, too, of Carvers treaty, 
see p. 8i. 

3 William Penn set sail for England, Aug. 12, 1684, having spent not quite two 
years in Pennsylvania. He visited the colony again in 1699, and returned to England 
in 1 701, where he spent the remaining seventeen years of his life. His outlay in 
Pennsylvania had involved him heavily in debt, and in 1709 he was obliged to 
mortgage his province for £6600. Other misfortunes fell upon him, and at one time 
he was a prisoner for debt in London. He was negotiating a sale of his right in 
Pennsylvania to the English government at the time of his death. His successors 
were unlike him, and their greedy and unjust policy created constant irritation. In 
1779 the state of Pennsylvania purchased their rights for $650,000. 

4 See Paragraph 37, and picture of the belt. Penn is the right-hand figure. The 




Treaty Monument. 



122 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1732-1733. 



Philadelphia grew rapidly, and at the beginning of the 
Revolution it was the largest and in every respect the most 
important city in the American colonies. Its history is 
closely connected with many decisive events in the early 
history of the country. 

There the first Continental Congress met (1774), there 
independence was declared (1776), there too the present 
Constitution of the United States was framed (1787), and 
there the seat of government remained (1790-1800) 1 until it 
was removed to Washington, then "a backwoods settlement 
in the wilderness." 

125. Summary. — William Penn founded the colony of Penn- 
sylvania, which was named from him. He gave the people 
the right to take part in making the laws, and all persons 
believing in God were protected in their religion. He made 
a treaty of peace with the Indians which was sacredly kept. 
At the opening of the Revolution Philadelphia was the chief 
city of the country, and long the seat of government. 

XIII. Georgia (1733). 

126. Oglethorpe's Project for the Settlement of Georgia; his 
Two Motives. — In 1732 General James Oglethorpe, a member 
of the English Parliament, obtained a charter for settling a 
tract of country in America between the Savannah and Alta- 
maha rivers. 

Oglethorpe was a man of high character and of distinguished 
ability. His objects in establishing a new colony were both 
patriotic and benevolent. South Carolina was exposed to 
attacks from the Spaniards in Florida, and it was desirable 

belt is in the possession of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, Philadelphia. See 
their Memoirs, Vol. VI. 

1 Philadelphia was virtually the capital of the country after independence was 
declared, although Congress did not always meet there. Pennsylvania attracted a 
large emigration; and in 1776 about half the population were English, one-third 
Germans, and the rest Irish and Swedes. 



1733.] 



COLONY OF GEORGIA. 



123 



to have a body of men so placed that they might repel such 
attacks. The proposed colony would serve therefore as a 
barrier against the enemies of Charleston on the south. That 
was the first object. The second was one of pure benevolence. 
Thousands of poor debtors were then confined in the prisons 
of England. Many of them were honest, hard-working men, 
who through sickness or misfortune had contracted some 
trifling debt, — it might be no more than a single shilling 
even, — and not being able to pay had been cast into prison. 
There their condition was most pitiful. They could earn 
nothing, and unless their friends supported them they were 
actually in danger of starvation, some of them having to 
subsist by begging in an iron cage from the passers-by. The 
jailors often treated these poor creatures with revolting cruelty, 
and never failed to extort fees and fines from them on every 
possible occasion. Cases occurred in which men were kept 
in confinement for years after their creditors had withdrawn 
all claims against them, simply because they could not raise 
money to pay the jail fees, which sometimes amounted to 
much more than the original debt. 

Oglethorpe had spent a good deal of time in visiting and in- 
vestigating these prisons in London ; his heart was touched by 
the misery he saw, — the misery of those who had committed 
no crime, — and he resolved to help them. His scheme was 
to select the most deserving of the prisoners, to discharge 
their debts, to furnish them transportation, with their wives 
and families, to America, and thus give them, what England 
could not — a chance to .begin life anew. 

Such a charity was as honorable as it promised to be useful. 
The English government subscribed a large sum toward it, 
so too did the Bank of England, and private individuals 
increased the fund until it reached what would be equal to 
half a million of dollars to-day. 1 

1 The House of Commons gave ^10,000, and private subscription ^26,000 ; or in 
all ^36,000, equal, probably, to not less than $500,000 now. 



124 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1733. 



127. The Settlement at Savannah ; Silk Culture. — An associa- 
tion of twenty-two persons was formed with Oglethorpe as 
leader. Out of compliment to King George II., who favored 
the undertaking, the new colony was called Georgia. The first 
emigrants sent out settled under Oglethorpe on the Savannah 
River, from which they named the town Savannah (1733). 

Later, German Protestants 1 who were persecuted in their 
own country on account of their religion, and sturdy Scottish 
peasants from the Highlands, 2 made settlements in Georgia. 

It was hoped that wine could be produced on a great scale, 
so as to rival Madeira itself. Mulberry-trees grew wild in the 

territory, and it 
was expected that 
silk could be raised 
in large quantities. 
The first seal of the 
colony represented 
the silkworms at 
their work, with 
the words, " Not 
for themselves, but 
for others." 3 Such 
a seal not only ex- 
pressed the indus- 
try of the inhabit- 
ants, but its motto 
told the story of 
the unselfish purposes of the founders. The silk culture, how- 
ever, never went very far, cotton being found in the end far 
more profitable. 

128. Restrictions on the Colony. — From the outset, however, 
the enterprise was hampered by certain regulations that caused 

1 Moravians and Lutherans : The Moravians were from Austria ; in several 
respects they resembled the Quakers. 2 They settled at Darien, on the coast. 
3 The motto was in Latin, — lL Non sibi sed aliisT 



rf ;p - V. I... R G I N I A t_ 
CAR O L\I N\U5f 

■-^—.iJe^ -Fa.etteville.^ >W B^fti 

\ / c ' N i \CAROLINA 

. \ r 



OUTII 



1 \W 



F }\ 



'Savannah 
Ibarien 

/^CUMBERLAND I 



5|| St. Augustine 



SCALE OF MILES 



60 l'JO 



1733-1750.] 



THE WES LEYS. 



125 



discontent and tended to prevent the rapid growth of the prov- 
ince. The first of these was the provision that for twenty-one 
years all law r s should be made by the Association. This kept 
the people like children, and made that best of all educations 
— the education of self-government — impossible. The next 
forbade that land should descend to women — the object being 
to keep it in the hands of those who could do military service. 
The third regulation prohibited the importation of rum or 
spirituous liquors, thus cutting off the Georgians from com- 
merce with the West Indies, which was the most lucrative 
trade they could then hope to obtain. Fourthly, the importa- 
tion of slaves was denied to the settlers, and they therefore 
could not compete agriculturally with the other colonies, all 
of which had them. Lastly, entire religious liberty was not 
allowed, no Roman Catholic being permitted to settle or hold 
land in the colony. 

129. TheWesleys; Whitefield ; the Restrictions removed; the 
Spaniards ; Resources of Georgia. — John and Charles Wesley, 
the two distinguished brothers who founded Methodism, were 
both interested in Oglethorpe's project, and went out with him 
on his second voyage, 1 the first for the purpose of doing 
missionary work among the Indians. Later, another noted 
preacher of that denomination, the Rev. George Whitefield, 2 
established an orphan asylum near Savannah. In strong con- 
trast to John Wesley, he conscientiously believed in slave- 
labor, and partly supported his asylum from the produce of 
his plantation in the adjoining colony of South Carolina. 
Through his persistent efforts, joined to those of others, the 
purchase of negroes was at last (1750) allowed : the prohibi- 
tion on the importation of rum from the West Indies was also 
removed, the land laws changed for the better, and Georgia 
soon had a flourishing commerce, and could hold her own with 
the Carolinas. 



1 Oglethorpe went back to England in 1743. He was a member of Parliament 
for many years, and died in 17S5. 2 Whitefield ( YVhit'fieldj. 



126 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1752. 



With respect to checking the attacks of the Spaniards the 
colony was highly successful. Oglethorpe defeated an expedi- 
tion sent to conquer and drive out the settlers, and did the 
work so thoroughly that the enemy had no desire to make his 
further acquaintance. 1 

In 1752 Georgia became a royal province, and was governed 
by the crown until the Revolution. No colony planted by the 
English possesses greater natural resources or natural wealth 
— in cotton, coal, and iron — than the territory that was first 
settled by that philanthropist who sought the prosperity of all. 
If he could see what Georgia has become, and better still, see 
its probable future, he would feel that he could not have chosen 
more wisely. 

130. Summary. — Georgia, the last of the thirteen colonies, 
and one of the richest in its natural advantages, was set- 
tled by English emigrants brought over by General Ogle- 
thorpe, as a work of charity. One chief object of the colony 
was the raising of silk. That, however, was unsuccessful. In 
the outset the settlers had no power of self-government, and 
the land laws caused much discontent. Slavery and the im- 
portation of spirituous liquors were forbidden, but later, both 
were allowed, the people got the management of the colony, 
in considerable measure, and Georgia opened a large trade 
with the West Indies. 

The French Exploration of the West. 

131. French Exploration of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi 
Valley ; the Jesuit Missionaries. — But while the English colo- 
nists had been getting firm possession of the coast from Maine 
to Georgia, the French in Canada 2 had not been sitting still. 
In fact, it was they, and not the English, who were the ex- 

1 The defeat of the Spaniards had the effect of extending the southern boundary 
of Georgia to the St. John's River, Florida. In 1763 it was fixed at the present line. 

2 See Paragraph 50. 



1669 -J 673.] 



JOLIET AND MARQUETTE. 



127 



plorers of the West. Among the first Europeans who dared to 
push their way into the wilderness were Jesuit missionaries, 1 
who had come here to convert the Indians. In their zeal for 
this work they braved all dangers — enduring hunger, cold, 
and torture without a murmur. Long before William Penn's 
emigrants had felled the first tree for the first log cabin in 
Philadelphia, the Jesuits had reached the western shore of 
Lake Michigan (1669), 2 and had planted missions among the 
Indians at Mackinaw, Sault Ste. Marie, and Green Bay. 3 

132 . Joliet and Marquette on the Mississippi — A few years later 
(1673) Joliet, 4 a famous French explorer and fur-trader, and 
Father Marquette, a Jesuit priest, set out from Mackinaw to 
find a great river which the Indians told them lay west of 
Lake Michigan. Making their way in birch-bark canoes 5 
to the head of Green Bay, they paddled up the Fox River to a 
place which they called Portage, 6 — now Portage City, — then 
carrying their canoes across, a distance of less than two miles, 
they embarked on the Wisconsin River. Borne by the current, 
they dropped down the Wisconsin until, on a beautiful day 

1 Jesuit missionaries : missionaries belonging to the Roman Catholic order of 
the Jesuits, or "Company of Jesus." The order was founded in 1540, for the 
double purpose of checking the spread of Protestantism, and of carrying the Catho- 
lic faith to the heathen. The French Jesuits accomplished a great work among 
the Indians of Canada and the West, but made but little impression on the fero- 
cious Iroquois, who captured several of the missionaries and put them to death 
with horrible tortures. Before the Jesuits came, a Catholic friar had founded a 
mission on Lake Huron in 161 5. 

2 Dates so enclosed need not be committed to memory. 

3 Mackinaw, Michigan, at the northwestern extremity of Lake Huron. Here is 
Fort Mackinaw. Sault Ste. Marie (usually pronounced Soo Sent Ma'ry), on the 
river of that name, about fourteen miles from the outlet of Lake Superior. Green 
Bay, Wisconsin, on western shore of Lake Michigan. See Map, page 128. 

4 Joliet (pronounced in the United States, Jo'le-et) : Marquette (Mar-kef) : both 
names frequently occur in the West, especially in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois, 
where counties, cities, and towns have been named for the French explorers. 

5 See Paragraph 36. . 

6 Portage : a French word, meaning a carrying-place, because at such points canoes 
or goods were carried across from one stream to another. See Map, page 128. 



128 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1673-1679. 



in June, they floated out on the broad, shining bosom of the 
upper Mississippi. The sight of it was enough : they knew 
that they had found that mighty stream which the Indians 
called the " Father of Waters " — at the point where the voy- 
agers reached it, it is full two miles from bank to bank. Turn- 
ing their canoes southward, they let the river bear them where 
it would. Day after day they kept on their silent journey; now 
gliding by castle-shaped cliffs, now coming into the sunlight of 
open prairies, now entering the long shadow cast by miles of 
unbroken forest. Thus they drifted on, past the muddy tor- 
rent of the Missouri, past the mouth of the beautiful Ohio. In 
about three weeks the explorers came to the spot where De 
Soto 1 had crossed the river more than a hundred years before; 
then pushing on, they reached the mouth of the Arkansas. 
There the Frenchmen stopped and feasted with friendly In- 
dians. The Indians warned them not to go further south, 
telling them that the tribes below were hostile to strangers. 
Joliet and Marquette took their advice, and after resting for 
some time with the hospitable red men, they got into their 
canoes and patiently paddled their way back. 2 It was a tre- 
mendous piece of up-hill work, that battling for hundreds of 
miles against the powerful current, but they felt fully repaid 
for the labor. They had not followed the Mississippi to the 
Gulf, as they intended ; but who will say that they had not 
made a good beginning ? 

133. La Salle reaches the Mouth of the Mississippi. — Six years 
later (1679) La Salle, 3 the greatest of the French explorers, a 
man of active brain and iron will, set out from Canada to com- 
plete the work of Joliet and Marquette. He had already ex- 
plored a good part of the Ohio, and he now started with high 
hopes on this still more important expedition. On the Niagara 
River, not far above the falls, he built the first sailing-vessel 

1 See Paragraph 22, page 30. 

2 They worked their way up the river to the Illinois, then up that river and across 
to Lake Michigan. 3 La Salle (Lah Sal'). 




MAP SHOWING THE THIRTEEN ENGLISH COLONIES AND THE FRENCH 
EXPLORATIONS AND SETTLEMENTS IN THE WEST. 



1680-168].] 



LA SALLE'S EXPEDITION. 



I2 9 



ever launched on the upper Great Lakes. In her he sailed to 
Green Bay, then, sending the vessel back for supplies, La Salle 
and his companions went in canoes to the St. Joseph River, 1 
near the southeastern corner of Lake Michigan. There they 
built a fort; then, crossing over to the head waters of the 
Kankakee, a tributary of the Illinois, they descended that 
river to the point where Peoria now stands. There they built 
a second fort. 2 Leaving a small 
garrison to hold this position, La 
Salle, near the end of winter, went 
back on foot to Canada 3 — a jour- 
ney of a thousand miles — to get 
the supplies which had failed to 
reach him, and which he needed 
for the exploration of the Missis- 
sippi. While he was gone, Father 
Hennepin, a Catholic missionary 
in La Salle's expedition, set out 
from the fort to explore the coun- 
try. After many startling adven- 
tures, he finally reached a cataract 
on the upper Mississippi, which he 

named the Falls Of St. Anthony. La Salle at the Mouth of the Mississippi. 

The next year (1681) La Salle returned to Illinois, only to 
find his fort deserted and in ruins. But the brave Frenchman 
knew no such word as fail. In the autumn he set out on his 
great expedition for the third time. Landing at the head of 
Lake Michigan, where Chicago 4 now stands, he crossed over 
to the Illinois and, going down that river, entered the Missis- 

1 La Salle paddled from Green Bay, along the shore, round to the St. Joseph 
River, Michigan. 

- La Salle called the second fort Crevecceur, the Broken Heart, a name generally 
supposed to refer to his misfortunes there. 

-3 He went back to Fort Frontenac (now Kingston), on the Canada shore of Lake 
Ontario. 

4 Chicago : here the French built a fort, or fortified trading-post, a few years later. 




I30 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1682-1718. 



sippi in February (1682). The weather was "bitter cold," 
and the river full of floating ice; La Salle did not hesitate, 
but started with his company on his perilous voyage. Nine 
weeks later — having stopped on his way to build a fort — he 
reached the sunny waters of the Gulf of Mexico. There he set 
up a rude wooden cross on which he fastened a metal plate 
bearing the arms of France. 1 Then with volleys of musketry 
and loud shouts of " God save the King ! " La Salle took pos- 
session of the entire vast territory watered by the Mississippi 
and its tributaries. To that region of unknown extent — twice 
as large as France, Spain, and Germany united — he gave the 
name of Louisiana, in honor of Louis XIV., then the reigning 
sovereign of France. 

134. The Founding of Mobile and New Orleans. — Many years 
later John Law, an enterprising Scotchman, got permission 
from France to establish a colony in Louisiana. The country 
was believed to possess mines of precious metals rich as those 
of Mexico or Peru. Law promised to open these mines, 2 and 
every needy and greedy Frenchman who could muster a few 
dollars bought the right to take part in the speculation. It 
failed, and made thousands beggars. Still the undertaking 
had some permanent results for good. A Frenchman named 
Iberville 3 had established a colony at Mobile, 4 on the Gulf of 
Mexico (1701). His brother, Bienville, 5 was appointed gov- 
ernor of Louisiana. It was hoped that he would send ship- 
loads of gold to France. He sent nothing of the sort, but did 
far better; for he founded the city of New Orleans (1718). 6 

1 Arms of France : a shield decorated with representations of the heads of lilies, 
(here resembling small crosses). The latest French life of La Salle says he fastened 
the arms of France to a post, and erected a cross beside it. 

2 On John Law and the Mississippi Company, see " The Leading Facts of French 
History," in this series. 3 Iberville (E-ber-veel'). 

4 Mobile: the name is Indian. 5 Bienville (Be-an-veel'). 

6 New Orleans : Bienville named the city from the Duke of Orleans, who was 
then, during the minority of Louis XV., at the head of the government of France. 
The word New seems to have been given to distinguish Orleans in America from 
Orleans in France. 



1689.] WAR WITH THE FRENCH. 1 3 1 

The settlement was merely a cluster of huts round a fort ; but 
in time it was destined to become the commercial metropolis 
of the richest agricultural valley in the world, — a valley capa- 
ble of producing food enough to feed all the civilized races of 
the globe. 

Meanwhile what had the English colonists in the East 
done toward exploring and occupying the country ? Prac- 
tically nothing. They simply continued to hold their first 
settlement on the Atlantic coast : in other words, the mere 
rim or edge of what is now the United States. The long 
range of the Alleghany Mountains, rising like an immense 
wall, had prevented their spreading further. France, on th,e 
other hand, had, as we have seen, got possession of the inte- 
rior ; by her claim to the Mississippi and its tributaries she 
held the great West, extending from the Alleghanies to the 
Rocky Mountains. What France held she intended to keep ; 
that was what the forts meant that La Salle had built at so 
many points of his explorations from the Lakes to the Gulf. 

The French and Indian Wars. 

135. War with the French; Attacks on Schenectady, Haverhill, 
and Deerfield; the French lose Acadia. — In Europe, the French 
and the English had long been enemies. The desire of each 
to get possession of America did not make them any better 
friends. In 1689 war broke out between the rival colonists. 
With intervals of peace that contest 1 extended over seventy 
years (1689-17 63). In Europe the same war was fought be- 
tween England and France, and it lasted even longer. The 
struggle in this country is usually represented as four distinct 
wars, but in reality it was but one; though, here, the comba- 
tants made one long stop of thirty years to get breath. 

1 This war and those that follow were simply the American side of a hundred 
years' struggle waged in Europe and Asia, between the English and the French for 
the possession of India and of the continent of America. See Seeley's " Expansion 
of England," Lecture II. 



132 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1689-1713. 



In the first war 1 which lasted eight years (1689-1697), 
Frontenac, the French governor of Canada, sent an expedition 
of French and Indians to attack the colonies on and near the 
Hudson. They secretly marched from Montreal in mid-winter, 
and falling on the little village of Schenectady, New York, 2 at 
midnight, they burned it and massacred most of the inhab- 
itants. In a similar attack on Haverhill, 3 Massachusetts, the 
savages met their match. A small party of Indians carried off 
Mrs. Hannah Dustin captive. She got possession of some 
tomahawks, and with the help of another woman and a boy, 
also prisoners, she split the heads of the sleeping Indians, and 
carried home their scalps, ten in all, in triumph. A regiment 
of such women would have soon made both French and Indians 
beg for peace. During this war, an expedition from Boston, 
led by Sir William Phips of Maine, captured the French fort 
at Port Royal, Acadia, 4 but it was returned to the French the 
next year (1691 ). 

In the second war, 5 which lasted eleven years (1702-17 13), 
a party of French and Indians attacked Deerfield, Massachu- 
setts, 6 and reduced the place to ashes. On the other hand, 
the New England colonists recaptured Port Royal, which they 
named Annapolis, in honor of Queen Anne, then reigning in 
England. They also undertook an expedition against Quebec, 
which ended in shipwreck and terrible loss of life. When peace 
was made (171 3), Great Britain not only kept Annapolis, but got 
possession of Acadia, which the English now named Xova Scotia. 

136. The Third War; Taking of Louisburg. — There was a long 
interval of peace, and then the third war 7 broke out. It lasted 

1 "King William's War." so called because King William reigned in England. 

2 Schenectady (Ske-nek'ta-dy) : 17 miles west of Albany. See Map. page 172. 

3 Haverhill : 33 miles north of Boston. Both Schenectady and Haverhill were 
then, in a sense, frontier towns. See Map. page 157. 

4 Acadia : now Xova Scotia. See Map. page 133. 

5 Known as " Queen Anne's War." from Queen Anne of England. 

6 Deerfield : in Northwestern Massachusetts, near the Connecticut River. 

7 Called ■' King George's War," from George II., then on the throne of England. 



1744-1748.] 



TAKING OF LOUISBURG. 



133 



four years (1 744-1 74S >. During this contest, the New England 
colonists gained a remarkable victory. France had spent 
millions in fortifying Louisburg, on Cape Breton Island, — a 
position of great importance to the French, because it stood 
guard at the entrance 
to the Gulf and the 
River St. Lawrence. 1 
The fort was of im- 
mense extent, and 
had walls of solid 
masonry thirty feet 
high. The French 
believed this strong- 
hold could not be 
taken ; but Colonel 
Pepperrell 2 of Maine, 
with a force of a few thousand Yankee farmers and fishermen, 
set out to capture it. The expedition seemed so foolhardy 
that even Benjamin Franklin 3 ridiculed it. Though himself 
a native of Xew England, and full of faith in New England 
grit, he wrote to his brother that Louisburg was far too hard 
a nut for their teeth to crack. But. with the help of a British 
fleet. Pepperrell and his men. after six weeks' lighting, did crack 
it (1745), and Boston fairly went wild over the great news. 4 

1 France needed the fortified harbor of Louisburg as a shelter for her vessels, as 
a protection to her commerce and fisheries, and for maintaining free communication 
■with Canada. 2 Usually, but incorrectly, spelled Pepperell. 

3 Benjamin Franklin: born in Boston. 1706 : died in Philadelphia, full of years 
and honors, in 1 790. He was the son of a soap-boiler and candle-maker. He learned 
the printer's trade and went to Philadelphia, where, in 1729. he became editor and 
proprietor of the Pennsylvania Gazette. Later he entered public life, went abroad 
as agent of the colonies, and rendered the whole country his debtor by his eminent 
services in the cause of American independence. The succeeding pages of this history 
will show that his name deservedly ranks with that of Washington as one of the 
founders of the L'nited States. For a full account of his life, see Ginn & Co.'s 
•• Benjamin Franklin." 

4 Notwithstanding the bravery of Pepperrell and his gallant little force, it is not 
likely that they, even with the help of the British fleet, could have taken Louisburg 




134 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1754-1763. 

The victory had two important results: i. It broke up the 
nest of French pirates at Louisburg, and so put an end to 
their capturing and plundering Massachusetts fishing-vessels. 
2. It inspired the New England people with the faith that 
they could not only beat the French, but beat them when 
entrenched behind granite walls. At the end of the war Eng- 
land gave Louisburg back ; but one thing Great Britain could 
not do, — she could not give back the confidence the French 
once had in the famous fortress. The " Yankees " had taken 
it ; and what men have done, they can do again. 

137. The Fourth, or French and Indian, War; the Great Line of 
French Forts. — In 17 54-1 7 63 came the fourth and final struggle, 
known as the "French and Indian War." It was to decide a 
greater question than any that had yet been fought for ; that 
was, whether the French or the English should control the 
continent of America. The English outnumbered the French 
fifteen to one ; but the French had got possession of the two 
chief rivers of the country, — the St. Lawrence and the Mis- 
sissippi. To clinch their hold they built fort after fort, until 
by this date they had a line extending from Quebec to the 
Great Lakes, and thence down the Wabash, the Illinois and 
the Mississippi to the Gulf. 1 W 7 here many of those and suc- 
ceeding forts stood, flourishing cities have since risen which 
still keep the old French or Indian names of Detroit, Chicago, 
St. Louis, 2 Natchez, New Orleans. That shows the forethought 
of the French explorers. When they selected a spot to fortify, 
they seem to have thought not only of its military strength, 

had that fort possessed an efficient garrison and a competent commander. It had 
neither, and hence it fell. England was astonished, and the king was so delighted 
that he made the American commander a baronet, — Sir William Pepperrell. He 
was the first native of New England who received that honor ; though William Phips 
(see p. 132) had been knighted more than fifty years before. 

1 See Map, page 128. 

2 There were two forts named St. Louis; that marking the site of the modern city 
of St. Louis was built by French emigrants after the war (1764), on territory then 
belonging to Spain. 



1753.] 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



135 



but also of the possibilities of its growth as a centre of business 
and commerce. 

138 . The Ohio Company ; Governor Dinwiddle' s Messenger. — But 
at last, after all the important points had passed into the 
hands of the French, the English began to open their eyes to 
' the danger which threatened them. They saw that unless they 
bestirred themselves, and moved into the rich territory west 
of the Alleghanies, they would lose the heart of the continent. 
To prevent such a disaster a wealthy London merchant, with 
certain influential Virginians, organized the Ohio Company 
(1748) for planting a colony of emigrants on the east bank of 
the upper Ohio. 1 The French at once resolved to stop the 
movement, and began a new line of forts, extending southward 
from Erie on Lake Erie to the point where the Alleghany and 
the Monongahela rivers unite to form the Ohio. That point 
at the head of inland navigation was with good reason called 
the "Gateway of the West." Both parties knew its importance ; 
both meant to seize and fortify it. 

Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia determined (1753) to send 
a messenger to Venango, — one of the new line of French forts, 
— and warn off those whom he considered intruders. 2 Whoever 
undertook such a journey must travel at least three hundred 
miles on foot, climb a succession of mountain ranges, cross 
rivers, as best he could, and risk his life among hostile Indians. 

The governor, after due deliberation, finally decided to en- 
trust this difficult and dangerous work to the brother of the 
late chief manager of the Ohio Company, a young man of 
twenty-one, who was a skilful surveyor, knew all about life in 

1 The first Ohio Company (formed in 1748), whose chief manager, Lawrence 
Washington, died in the summer of 1752, received a grant of 500,000 acres on the 
east bank of the Ohio, between the Great Kanawha and the Monongahela rivers. 
The region is now embraced by West Virginia and Southwest Pennsylvania. 

2 The English maintained that they had purchased the Ohio Valley region of 
the Iroquois Indians, who declared that they had conquered it many years before. 
There is no evidence that the Iroquois had any right to sell the land. 



136 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1753. 



the wilderness, and did not know what fear meant. The name 
of that young man may still be read on a lofty limestone cliff 
in Virginia, 1 where, when a lad, he climbed up higher than any 
of his companions dared to go, and cut it with his hunting- 
knife, — GEORGE WASHINGTON. 2 

139. Results of Washington's Journey. — Washington per- 
formed the journey (1753), but the French commander sent 
back an unsatisfactory reply to the governor. The expedition 
had, however, two important results. In the first place, it may 
be said to have made Washington "a Western man," for the 
journey seems to have impressed him with the immense value 
and future growth of that region. In time he came to hold 
more lands there than any one else in the country ; and 
throughout his life he used his influence in every way to build 
roads and canals to open up and settle the West, or what was 
then known by that name. In the second place, the answer 
which Washington brought made it evident that if the Ohio 
Company was to hold its own, it must do so by force. The 

1 At Natural Bridge, in the mountains of Western Virginia. The walls rise over 
two hundred feet, and it is exceedingly difficult and dangerous to climb them. 

2 George Washington was born at Bridges Creek, Virginia, on the Potomac, 
about fifty miles south of where Washington now stands. His father, soon after the 
birth of George, removed to an estate on the Rappahannock opposite Fredericks- 
burg. Nothing remains of the old homestead at Bridges Creek ; but a stone slab 
marks the site of the house, and bears this inscription: £i Here, the nth of Febru- 
ary, 1732, George Washington was born." Difference of reckoning now makes the 
nth the 226.. Washington's great-grandfather, John Washington, emigrated from 
England to Virginia about 1657. It is generally thought that he belonged to one of 
the old Cavalier families that fought in behalf of Charles I. during the English Civil 
W r ar. George Washington received a fair English education, but nothing more. 
He excelled in athletic sports and horsemanship, and was fond of life in the woods. 
He became a skilful surveyor, and found the work highly profitable. By the death 
of Lawrence Washington, an elder brother, George came eventually into possession 
of the estate at Mount Vernon, on the Potomac, a short distance below the pres- 
ent city of Washington. Washington's mission to the French commander at 
Venango first brought him into public notice. In 1759 he married Mrs. Martha 
Custis, a wealthy widow. From this time until his death, in 1799, he will stand 
prominent in this history. For a full account of Washington, see " Washington 
and His Country," Ginn & Co. 




WASHINGTON BEFORE THE REVOLUTION 



1754.1 



THE ALBANY CONVENTION. 



137 



Company accordingly began a fort at the " Gateway of the 
West " ; but before they could complete it, the French drove 
them out, finished building it, and named it Fort Duquesne 1 
in honor of the French governor of Canada. Washington 
then began a small fort, which he called Fort Necessity, about 
forty miles south of Fort Duquesne; but the French came in 
overwhelming force, and compelled him to surrender it. 



140. The Albany Convention ; Benjamin Franklin's Snake ; 
General Braddock. — Matters now looked so serious that a con- 
vention of the Northern colonies met at Albany (1754) to 
consider what should be done. The Iroquois Indians, who 
were stanch friends of the English, sent some of their people 
to the convention, and warned the colonists that if they did 
not take up arms, the French would drive every Englishman 
out of the country. Benjamin Franklin, delegate 2 from 
Pennsylvania, headed an appeal in his paper, the Pennsylvania 
Gazette, with a rude woodcut, which told its own story. It 
represented the colonies in the form of a snake cut in pieces, 




J 




1 Duquesne (Du-kane'). 

2 Delegate : a representative, a person sent to act for others. 



I38 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [|755. 



with the motto, "Unite or die." Franklin furthermore pro- 
posed an excellent plan for banding the colonies together for 
self-protection, but it was not adopted. The English govern- 
ment rejected it as too democratic, though the colonists 
j*^^ thought it not democratic enough. Even 

Kc**V then, the authorities in England "dreaded 

ISfc^jl* IbiXs American union as the key-stone of inde- 
pendence." 1 

The next year (1755) England sent over 
General Braddock with a body of troops 
to drive the French out of the Ohio 
Valley. He was a good soldier, but did 
everything by rule. He and his men could fight any enemy 
that would meet them openly face to face ; but he did not know 
how to fight the French and Indians, whose plan was to hide 
in the forest, and fire from behind trees. 

Braddock might have got useful hints from either Franklin 
or Washington, but he scorned consulting men who had never 
been regularly trained in the European arts of war. 

141. Braddock' s Defeat ; Washington. — Braddock advanced 
(1755) from Alexandria, Virginia, across the mountains to 
attack Fort Duquesne. Washington accompanied him. All 
went well until the British army had nearly reached the fort. 
Suddenly a savage yell rose from the woods through which 
the men were marching, followed by a murderous volley of 
musket-shots which killed many. The English general did 
everything a brave man could to repel the attack, but it was 
useless. Both he and his army were simply " a living target 
to an unseen foe." A panic set in; the men ran like sheep, 
and were shot down as they ran. Finally Braddock, who was 
himself mortally wounded, had to order a retreat. A few days 
later he died, and was secretly buried at night. Colonel Wash- 
ington read the funeral service over his grave by torchlight. 

1 Part of Franklin's plan was that the colonies should have a president appointed 
by the crown, and a council chosen by the people. 




1758.] 



THE ACADIANS. 



139 



It was said in Virginia that Braddock lost the victory, but 
that Washington's coolness and courage saved the army. It 
was true ; for without Washington's aid the defeat would have 
become a massacre. An eminent Virginia clergyman, who 
preached on the disaster shortly afterward, said of Wash- 
ington, that he believed that " Providence had saved him for 
some important service to his country." 

142. The Acadians; Pitt and Victory; Fort Duquesne; the 
French driven to Canada. — In the course of the next two years 
the English took the French province of New Brunswick, and 
drove many thousands of Acadians, or French inhabitants of 
Nova Scotia, into exile. 1 But up to 1758 the war languished. 
Then a great change took place. William Pitt, later known 
as Lord Chatham, had now become the chief councillor in the 
English government. He was a man of immense energy, of 
spotless integrity, and one of the truest friends that America 
ever had. He sent fresh troops to fight for the colonists ; and, 
what was better, he seemed to inspire them with his own spirit. 
Louisburg was now retaken, never to be given back. Then a 
second expedition was sent against Fort Duquesne. Colonel 
Washington took part in it as before. The fort was captured, 
and named Fort Pitt in honor of the distinguished statesman 
who had made the victory possible. To-day we know the 
place as Pittsburg, the centre of the most extensive iron works 
in the United States. 

This victory gave the English the control of the Ohio coun- 
try. Then, by the help of his Iroquois "braves," Sir William 
Johnson of Johnson Hall, New York,' 2 took Fort Niagara. 

1 Longfellow has made this exile of the 7,000 Acadians the subject of his poem of 
" Evangeline." Burke called the expulsion " an inhuman act," but recent investiga- 
tion seems to show that the English were justified in driving out the French, since 
they positively refused to take the oath of allegiance to England, and their sons were 
secretly fighting against her. (See Parkman's " Montcalm and Wolfe," I. 234-284.) 

2 Johnson Hall, near Schenectady. Sir William and his son had unbounded influ- 
ence over the Iroquois tribes, and at this period they used that influence for the 
advantage of the colonies. 



I4O LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1759-1763. 



Next, the French were compelled to give up Fort Ticonderoga 
and Crown Point on Lake Champlain, and were driven back 
to Canada. 

143. Fall of Quebec ; Pontiac's Conspiracy. — The French had 
lost Fort Frontenac (Kingston), but they still held Quebec; 
and so long as they had possession of that formidable strong- 
hold, they could continue to threaten the American colonies. 
The fortress was built on a lofty rock, overlooking the St. 
Lawrence. It was rightly believed to be one of the strongest 
in the world: in fact, the "Gibraltar 
of America." Montcalm, one of the 
ablest and noblest generals of France, 
held the fortress. General Wolfe, an 
English soldier of equal character and 
courage, undertook to wrest it from 
him. The death struggle came in the 
autumn of 1759, wnen Wolfe, with his 
troops, climbed the Heights of Abra- 
ham. In the terrible battle both 
commanders found the truth of the 
words, " The paths of glory lead but 
to the grave," 1 which Wolfe quoted 
to his brother officers on the eve of 
the contest ; for both were killed. 
They met death as only heroes can. 
The English general exclaimed when 
he heard that his men had gained the hard-fought field, "Now, 
God be praised, I die in peace." The French leader, when 
told that he must soon breathe his last, said, " So much the 
better; I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec." 

The fall of Quebec practically ended the war ; but four years 
later, Pontiac, chief of a Michigan tribe and friendly to the 
French, rose in revolt. He formed a secret league with other 

1 Gray's "Elegy written in a Country Churchyard " 1749. "Gentlemen/' said 
Wolfe to his officers, " I would rather have written those lines than take Quebec." 




The Heights of Abraham. 



1763.] 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



141 



tribes, — the Iroquois refusing to join, — to drive the English 
from the whole W estern country. A young Indian girl betrayed 
the plot to the commander of the fort at Detroit. Pontiac's at- 
tack failed, though many frontier settlers were massacred, and 
he himself was forced to beg for peace. It was the last gen- 
eral attempt on the part of the Indians to reconquer the land 
that the white man had taken from them. 

144. What the French and Indian War settled. — The fall of 
Quebec was a turning-point in American history. When Wolfe 
with his brave men climbed the rocky heights back of that great 
fortress on a starlight autumn night of 1759, the whole West, 
from Quebec to the Mississippi and New Orleans, belonged to 
France. 

When the sun went down the following day, France had lost 
her hold on America forever. By the treaty of peace of 1763 
the French king gave up the whole of his possessions in this 
country to England. Of all the magnificent territory that he 
had held on this continent, nothing was left that he could call 
his own but two little barren islands off the coast of Southern 
Newfoundland 1 which the English permitted him to keep, to 
dry fish on. 

The war settled the fact that America was not to be an 
appendage of France, but was to become the home of the chief 
part of the English-speaking race. Spain had owned Florida 
since its discovery by Ponce de Leon 2 — more than two cen- 
turies and a half. She had fought on the side of France 
against England : now that France was defeated Spain was 
forced to give up Florida to Great Britain ; so that by the end 
of 1763 the flag of England and of the English colonies floated 
over the whole eastern section of this continent, from the 
Atlantic to the great river of the West, with the single excep- 
tion of New Orleans, which, with the Louisiana territory west 
of the Mississippi, France had secretly transferred to Spain. 



1 Miquelon and St. Pierre. 



- See Paragraph iS. 



142 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1763. 



145. Results of the Wars. — The long series of wars between 
the English and the French in this country accomplished 
four great results: 1. They united the inhabitants of the 
colonies — especially of those north of the Carolinas — and 
inspired them with new strength. 2. They trained thousands 
of resolute men in the use of arms, taught them to face an 
enemy, and thus, in a measure, prepared them for the war of 
Independence not many years distant. 3. By removing all 
danger of attack by the French they made the colonists feel 
less need of British protection. 4. They cleared the ground 
east of the Mississippi of rival and hostile forces, and so left 
it open for our ancestors to lay — when the right time should 
come — the corner-stone of the United States. 

General State of the Country in 1763. 

146. The Thirteen Colonies in 1763; Growth of the Coun- 
try ; Number and Character of the Population. — The growth of 
the colonies from the first settlements in 1607 1 and 1620 2 
to the end of the French and Indian War had been slow 
but steady. When a gardener finds that a healthy young 
plant shows but little progress, he is not discouraged. He 
says cheerfully, " It is all right ; it is making roots, and will 
last the longer." For a century and a half the colonies had 
been "making roots," — getting that firm hold so necessary for 
the future growth of a free and powerful nation. 

In 1 763 3 the entire population probably did not greatly 
exceed half that of New York City now. 4 Of this about one- 
sixth were negro slaves ; every colony had some, but by far 
the larger part were owned south of the Potomac. This popu- 
lation was nearly all east of the Alleghanies. West of those 
mountains the country was really a howling wilderness. The 

1 See Paragraph 47. 2 See Paragraph 73. 

3 The date of England's treaty of peace with Fiance. 

4 No exact estimate of the population can be given, as the first census was not 
taken until 1790. It was probably about i,8oo,o©o. 



1763.] 



CITIES ; TRADE. 



143 



majority of the colonists — especially in Virginia and New 
England — were English or of English descent. Next in num- 
ber came the Germans in Pennsylvania, 1 the Dutch in New 
York, 2 the Irish and Scotch-Irish 3 who had settled to some 
extent in all of the colonies, and finally, the descendants of 
the Huguenots, or French Protestants, most numerous in 
South Carolina. 4 

147. Language; Religion; Social Rank; Cities; Trade. — Nearly 
all of the colonists spoke English, and nearly all were Protes- 
tants. 5 Most of them had sprung from the same social class 
in the mother-country. A witty Frenchman of that day said 
that the people of England reminded him of a barrel of their 
own beer — froth on the top, dregs -at the bottom, but clear 
and sound in the middle. It was from that energetic, indus- 
trious, self-respecting middle class that the greater part of the 
emigrants to this country came. In none of the colonies was 
there a titled aristocracy holding land, and established by law 
as in Europe. In Virginia, however, the great plantations were 
usually handed down to the eldest son after the English fashion. 
America had men of intelligence and wealth, but no lords; she 
had learned and influential clergymen, but no bishops. 

Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Charleston were the 
chief cities, yet even Philadelphia, then the largest, had only 
about twenty thousand inhabitants, and not one of these cities 
published a daily paper and did not until more than twenty 
years later. 6 

The foreign trade of the country was prosperous. The 
South exported tobacco, rice, indigo, tar, and turpentine ; the 
North, fish, lumber, furs, and iron. New England built and 

1 See Note 1, page 122. 2 See Paragraph 61. 

3 See Paragraph 94. 4 See Paragraph 117. 

5 The greatest number of Catholics were in Maryland ; there the)' may have con- 
stituted a fifteenth of the population. 

6 The Boston News Letter, 1704 (weekly), was the first regular newspaper pub- 
lished in America. The American Daily Advertiser. Philadelphia, 1784, is said to 
have been the first daily. 



144 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1763. 



sold so many sailing vessels that the ship-carpenters of Great 
Britain complained that the Americans were ruining their 
business. Manufactories were comparatively few. England 
treated her colonies in a broader and more generous spirit 
than any other nation in Europe, but she wished, so far as 
practicable, to compel the Americans to buy all their goods 
from her. On this account she refused to let them make so 
much as a yard of fine woollen cloth, an iron pot, or print a 
New Testament. The people of this country did not openly 
dispute this right, or supposed right, of the mother-country to 
restrict their trade ; but they smuggled goods, especially tea 
and other luxuries, from Europe ; and the British custom-house 
officers pretty generally winked at the landing of such articles. 

148. Government of the Colonies; Law; Unity of the People. — 

The colonies did not all have the same form of government. 
Connecticut and Rhode Island held charters, 1 by which they 
practically managed their own affairs in their own way without 
interference of any sort. Eight of the remaining colonies 2 were 
under a governor appointed by the king; the three others, 
Pennsylvania with Delaware, 3 and Maryland were governed 
by their proprietors, 4 the descendants of William Penn and of 
Lord Baltimore. 

All the colonies had- legislative assemblies elected by the 
people ; by means of these assemblies they levied their own 
taxes and had the chief voice in making their own laws. 5 In 
New England all matters of public interest were openly and 
fearlessly discussed in town-meeting ; in Virginia, county 
meetings were held occasionally for the same purpose. Every 

1 See Note 3, page 25. 

2 Massachusetts had a charter, but could make only such laws as her governor, 
appointed by the king, saw fit to approve. 3 See Paragraph 122. 

4 Proprietors : those to whom the land was originally granted. 

5 The laws enacted by the colonial assemblies required the governor's approval, 
except in Rhode island and Connecticut, where the people elected the governor and 
could legislate, if they chose, without his consent. 



1763.] 



LIFE AMONG THE FARMERS. 



145 



white man had the right to trial by jury and to the protection 
given by the common law of England. 

The colonists, though loyal to the king, were full of sturdy 
independence of character. In 1775 some of them adopted a 
flag on which was a rattlesnake coiled ready to strike, and the 
words, "Don't tread on me"; but they might have hoisted 
such colors just as well a dozen years before, for that flag 
expressed what their real spirit had always been. Though 
there was but little communication between the colonies, yet 
they were essentially one people, — they spoke the same lan- 
guage, they appealed for justice to the same general law, they 
held, with some few exceptions, the same religion. 



149. Life among the Farmers. — Few of the colonists were very 
rich ; fewer still were miserably poor. The mass of the people 
lived simply but comfort- 
ably. The farm-houses 
were generally built of 
huge timbers covered 
with rough, unpainted 
clapboards, often with the 
upper story projecting so 
that in case of an attack 
by Indians, the owner 
could fire down on the 
savages and give them a 
reception they would re- 
member. Usually the 
centre of such houses was 
taken up by an immense 
open fireplace, so big that it was a fair question whether the 
chimney was built for the house or the house for the chimney. 
On a snapping cold night there was no more cheerful sight 
than such a fireplace piled up with blazing logs, round which 
our forefathers and their sturdy families sat contentedly, 




By the Fireside. 



146 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1763. 



watching the flames as they leaped up the chimney. But 
these roaring fires meant work. During the day the wood- 
chopper seemed to hear them forever crying "more, more," 
and if by ill-chance they went out at night, there were no 
matches to rekindle them. That had to be done by striking 
a spark with flint and steel, catching it on a bit of old half- 
burnt rag, and then blowing that spark to a flame. If we are 
tempted to envy our ancestors their cosy winter evenings, 
probably few envy them their winter mornings in case the fire 
failed to keep over. 

The cooking was done either over or before these open fires, 
or in huge brick ovens. The food was very simple, — often 
nothing more than mush and molasses for breakfast, — but 
there was plenty of it, and no lack of healthy appetite. 

The farmer bought little at the store. He raised his own 
food ; his sheep furnished wool, and his wife and daughters 
spun and wove it into stout "homespun " 
cloth. In such households there were 
few idle days, but many happy ones ; 
and for recreation "the young people had 
sleighing parties, husking-bees, 1 general- 
trainings, 2 and other merry-makings. 

150. Life in the Cities, and on the Great 
Virginia Plantations. — In the cities and 
large towns, and on the great planta- 
tions at the South, there was a good deal 
of luxury. The rich lived in stately man- 
sions, furnished with solid oak and ma- 
Life at the South. hogany imported from England. Their 
tables shone with silver plate, and sparkled with costly wines. 
They owned their servants instead of hiring them. Gentlemen, 

1 Husking-bees : at these gatherings the young people met to husk corn ; there was 
usually quite as much fun as work on such occasions. 

2 General-trainings : meetings for military drill. They occurred once or twice a 
year, and were regarded as holidays. 




1763.] 



HOSPITALITY. 



147 



when in full-dress, wore three-cornered cocked hats, long velvet 
coats, lace ruffles at their wrists, knee breeches, 1 white silk 
stockings, and shoes with silver buckles. They kept their 
hair long, powdered it white, and tied it back in a twist or 
queue with a black silk ribbon. Ladies wore gowns of brocade 2 
and rich silk almost stiff enough to stand alone. They also 
powdered their hair, so that all people of fashion, whether 
young or old, looked stately and venerable. In general, life 
moved in somewhat the same stately way : there was no hurry- 
ing to catch trains, no flashing of telegrams from one end of 
the country to the other, no newsboys shouting daily papers, 
no instantaneous photographs, no pushing and hustling in 
overcrowded streets. On Sunday every one, or practically 
every one, went to church ; and, in New England, if a man 
was absent more than once without some very good reason, 
he was in great danger of making the acquaintance of the 
whipping-post. 

151. Travel; Letters; Hospitality; Severe Laws. — People seldom 
travelled. When they did, they generally preferred going by 
water if possible, in order to avoid the bad roads. But as such 
travelling was wholly in sailing-vessels, the time when a man 
reached his destination depended altogether on the wind, and 
the wind made no promises. Know- 
ing this fact, some chose to go 
by land. To accommodate these 
venturesome people a lumbering 
covered-wagon ran once a week 

between New York and Philadel- The " Flying Machine " 
phia, travelling at the rate of about three miles an hour. 
Later (1766), an enterprising individual put on a wagon 
which actually made the trip of ninety miles in two days. 

1 Knee breeches : breeches coming down to the knees ; before the introduction of 
trousers they were worn by men of all classes. 

2 Brocade : cloth or stuff richly embroidered with raised flowers or other figures 
in silk or gold and silver thread. 




I48 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1763. 



On account of its speed it was advertised as the "Flying 
Machine"; the cheaper conveyances, which did not "fly," 
took a day longer to make the journey. In the wet season of 
the year the passengers often worked their passage as well as 
paid for it, for they were frequently called on to get out and 
pry the wagon out of the mud with fence-rails. 

The expense of carrying the mails made postage so high 
that but few letters were written. These were rarely prepaid ; 
and as a charge of twenty-five cents on a single letter was not 
very uncommon, most persons preferred that their friends 
should think of them often but write to them seldom. 

Yet if people rarely wrote to each other and travelled but 
little, they were quite sure of being hospitably entertained 



and bowing, begged him to turn aside and stop over night at 
his master's mansion. There he was sure to be treated to the 
best there was in the house ; and as no temperance society had 
then come into existence, the best, both North and South, always 
meant plenty to drink as well as plenty to eat, followed per- 
haps by a fox-hunt, or some other sport, the next day. 

But if the times were hospitable, they were also somewhat 




Pillory and Stocks. 



along the way when they did 
venture from home. This 
was especially the case in 
Virginia. The rich planters 
in that section considered a 
guest a prize. He brought 
the latest news and the new- 
est gossip. It was no strange 
thing for a planter to send 
out one of his negroes to 
station himself by the road- 
side to watch for the com- 
ing of some respectable look- 
ing stranger on horseback. 
Then the servant, smiling 



1763.] 



EDUCATION. 



149 



rough and even brutal. A trifling offence would often send a 
man to the stocks for meditation, and something more serious 
to the pillory, where the passer-by might stop to pelt him with 
a handful of mud, a rotten apple, or something worse. Im- 
prisonment for debt was an every-day occurrence, and crim- 
inals who committed highway robbery or murder were first 
paraded through the principal streets and then hanged in 
public. 

152. Education; Books; Jonathan Edwards and Benjamin 
Franklin. — Most of the colonists, especially in New England, 
where free schools had long been established by law, could 
read and write fairly well ; and a small number, particularly 
clergymen, were highly educated. Very few books were 
published, but the rich imported a stock of the best English 
authors, and, what is more, they read them. The two ablest 
American writers of that day were the Rev. Jonathan Edwards 
of Massachusetts 1 and Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia. 
Edwards wrote his great work " On the Freedom of the Will " 
for that small number of readers who like a book that forces 
them to think as well as read. Not many can grasp Edwards' 
thought about the "Will," but we can all understand how 
nobly he used his own will when he made these two resolu- 
tions : 1. "To do whatever I think to be my duty" 2. "To live 
with all my might while I do live." 

Franklin's best-known work was his Almanac, commonly 
called "Poor Richard's Almanac," 2 which he published for 
many years. It was full of shrewd, practical wit and wisdom, 
and it suited a hard-working people. Men who had begun 
life with no help but such as they got from their own hands 
and their own brains liked to read such sayings as these: 
"Diligence is the 7nother of good luck." "He that can have 

1 Edwards was born in Connecticut, but spent most of his life in Massachusetts. 

2 Because Franklin represents a curious old fellow, whom he calls " Poor Rich- 
ard," as uttering the sayings which made the almanac famous. Franklin wrote his 
famous u Autobiography ' : many years later (1790). 



150 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [l763. 



patience can have what he will" "Heaven helps those who help 
themselves." Thousands of young men learned these maxims 
by heart, put them in practice, and found their reward in the 
prosperity and independence to which they led. 

But Franklin did not confine himself to writing ; he was 
also greatly interested in scientific experiments. Everybody 
has noticed that the fur of a cat's back, when stroked vigorously 
the wrong way on a winter's night, will send out a multitude 
of electric sparks. Franklin asked himself, Are these sparks 
the same as the flashes of lightning seen in a thunder-shower? 
He resolved to find out. To do this he sent up a kite during 
a shower, and fastened a door-key near the end of the string. 
Touching his knuckle to the key he got an electric spark from 
it. This, and other experiments, convinced him that his con- 
jecture was right ; electricity and lightning, said he, are one 
and the same thing. That discovery, simple as it now seems, 
made Franklin famous. When he, went to England on busi- 
ness for the colonies he needed no introduction, — everybody 
had heard of the American who had found the key to the 
clouds and to electrical science as well. Even George III., 
though he heartily hated Franklin for his independent spirit, 
actually put up a bungling kind of Franklin lightning-rod — 
one with a ball instead of a point — on his palace in London. 

To-day we light our cities, propel our Street-cars, ring our 
fire-alarms, and send our messages across continents and under 
oceans by this mysterious power. We owe the practical be- 
ginning of much of this to Franklin. He said, " There are 
no bounds ... to the force man may raise and use in the 
electrical way." In view of what is now being done in this 
" electrical way," the words of the Philadelphia printer, phi- 
losopher, and statesman — written more than a hundred years 
ago — read like a prophecy. 

153. General Summary. — The thirteen colonies were settled, 
mainly by the English, between 1607 and 1733, — Virginia was 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 



1763.] 



GENERAL SUMMARY. 



the first colony founded (1607), Massachusetts the second 
(1620), Georgia (1733) the last. During the closing seventy 
years of this period (1 689-1 763) the colonists were engaged 
nearly half of the time in a series of wars with the French 
settlers in Canada, who had explored the West and claimed it 
for themselves. In these wars many Indian tribes (but not 
the Iroquois 1 ) fought on the side of the French. The colo- 
nists, with the aid of England, gained the victory, and thus 
obtained possession of the country from the Atlantic to the 
Mississippi. Up to that time (1763) the people had been 
growing in prosperity, in intelligence, and in the determination 
to maintain all those rights to which as English colonists they 
were justly entitled. 



1 Iroquois : the Indians of New York. See Paragraph 42. 



IV. 



"Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, 
FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES." — Motion made in the Continental Con- 
gress at Philadelphia, June 7, /yy6, by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, 
seconded by John Adams of Massachicsetts. 



THE REVOLUTION; THE CONSTITUTION. 
(1763-1789.) 

1. THE COLONISTS RESIST TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTA- 

TION, 1764-1775. 

2. THE COLONISTS MAKE WAR AGAINST ENGLAND IN DEFENCE 

OF THEIR RIGHTS AS ENGLISH SUBJECTS, 1775-JULY 4, 1776. 

3. THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, JULY 4, 1776-1783. 

4. THE FORMATION AND ADOPTION OF THE CONSTITUTION, 1787- 

1788. 

154. American Commerce ; the New King ; George III. ; how he 
interfered with Trade. — Up to the close of the war by which 
England had compelled the French to give up their hold on 
America the people of this country had prospered. During 
the war, and for a long time before it, the laws which forbade 
the colonists to trade with any country except Great Britain 
had not been enforced. The result was that the New Eng- 
enders had made a great deal of money by trading with the 
French and the Spanish West Indies — sending them lumber 
and fish, and bringing back molasses and sugar from the French 
islanders, and bags of silver dollars from the Spaniards. 

Now, all this profitable commerce was to stop. A new king 
— George III. — had come to the throne in England (1760). 
He was conscientious but narrow-minded, obstinate, and at 

152 



1760.] 



TAXATION OF THE COLONIES. 



153 



times crazy. 1 The new government was determined that the 
old laws should be carried out. Ships of war were stationed 
along the American coast to stop free trade with the French 
and the Spaniards. In Boston and other large towns the 
king's officers, armed with warrants called "Writs of Assist- 
ance," began to break into men's houses and shops and search 
them for smuggled goods. 2 They did not ask for proof of 
guilt ; they entered and searched when and where they pleased. 
New England saw her trade broken up. It began to look as 
though the king and his " friends " 3 meant to ruin every mer- 
chant and ship-builder in the country. James Otis and other 
leading citizens of Boston protested, but it was useless. 

155. The King proposes to tax the Colonies ; Object of the Tax ; 
Protest of the Americans. — This, however, was only the begin- 
ning of evil. The cost of the late war had been enormous and 
English tax-payers groaned at the thought of paying out any 
more money. But the king was determined to send at least 
ten thousand troops to America, to protect, as he said, the 
colonies against the Indians and the French. In order to 
raise money to pay these soldiers — whom the Americans did 
not want — George III. and his "friends " proposed an entirely 
new measure — that was to tax the people of this country. 
But the colonists believed that according to the principles of 
English law the king had no just power to demand his peo- 
ple's money except by consent of the men whom they should 

1 The king had his first attack of insanity — a mild one — in 1765, while the 
Stamp Act was under discussion. In 17S8 he felt that his mind was seriously 
affected ; bursting into tears, he exclaimed that " He wished to God he might die, 
for he was going mad." He soon became so. 

2 These " Writs of Assistance " were general search-warrants in blank. In an 
ordinary search-warrant the person applying to the magistrate for it must swear that 
he has good reason for suspecting the person he accuses, and must have his name, 
and no other, inserted by the magistrate in the warrant. In the case of the " Writs 
of Assistance " it was entirely different. The officers wrote any name they pleased in 
the warrants, and then entered and rummaged the man's house from attic to cellar. 
Sometimes this was done purely cut of spite. 

3 Those who supported the king in England were called the " King's Friends." 



154 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1763-1765. 



elect to represent them in Parliament. 1 The Americans had 
no such representatives, and, what is more, they were not per- 
mitted to send any. For this reason they protested against 
the tax as a direct and open violation of their rights. The 
best men in Parliament — such men as William Pitt 2 and 
Edmund Burke — took the side of the colonists.' 3 Burke said 
that if the king undertook to tax the Americans against their 
will he would rind it as hard a job as the farmer did who tried 
to shear a wolf instead of a sheep. 

156. The Stamp Act. — But the king and his "friends," 
with many others, thought that the Americans were like 

lambs and that they would stand any 
amount of shearing without once show- 
ing their teeth. Accordingly, Parliament 
passed the Stamp Act in 1765. That 
act required that the colonists should 
use stamps — resembling our postage- 
stamps — on all important law and busi- 
ness papers, and also on pamphlets and 
newspapers. The stamps cost all the 
way from a half penny (one cent) up to 
ten pounds (fifty dollars). Such a law, 
if enforced, would tax everybody in spite of himself ; for every 
one would have to pay that tax when he bought a newspaper 
or an almanac, took out a policy of insurance on his house, 
or made his will. 

157. Resistance of the Colonists. — Benjamin Franklin, 4 who 
was in London as agent for the colonies when the law was 
proposed, fought against it with all his might, but, as he said, 

1 The British Parliament, which sits in London, is to England what Congress is 
to the United States. It is a law that no tax shall be levied on the British people 
except by members of Parliament elected by the people as their representatives. 

2 See Paragraph 142. 

3 Pitt thought it was not right to tax America ; Burke thought it was not wise to 
do so. 4 See page 133, note 3. 




1765-1766.] REPEAL OF THE STAMP ACT. 



he might as well have tried to stop the sun from setting. 
In Boston, Samuel Adams, the " Father of the Revolution," 
denounced the act at a town-meeting held in Faneuil 1 Hall 
— the "Cradle of Liberty," as it was called. But the law 
passed, and the colonists got the news in the spring of 1765. 

Then the indignation of the people blazed out in an unmis- 
takable manner. In Virginia, Patrick Henry, in a speech — 
now familiar to every school- 
boy — fired all hearts by his 
eloquence. James Otis 2 had 
already declared that " Tax- 
ation without representa- 
tion 3 is tyranny. " Delegates 
from nine of the colonies met 
in New York to protest 
against the Stamp Act. 
When the hated stamps came 
the people destroyed them, 
and even the boys shouted, 
"Liberty, property, and no 
stamps ! " 

158. Repeal of the Stamp 
Act; the Declaratory Act; 
the "Boston Massacre"; De- 
struction of the Gaspee. — 

When news of these vigorous proceedings reached London, 
William Pitt 4 said in Parliament, "In my opinion, this king- 
dom has no right to lay a tax on the colonies. ... I rejoice 
that America has resisted." The Stamp Act was speedily 
repealed (1766), 5 much to the delight of many people in 

1 Faneuil: commonly pronounced Fan'il. 2 See Paragraph 154. 

3 See Paragraph 155. 4 See note 3, page 154. 

5 All dates in parentheses [as in this case (1766)] are given simply to ejtable the 
pupil to follow the order of time readily ; dates not so enclosed — for instance, 1765, 
on this page — should, as a rule, be committed to memory. 




Faneuil Hall, the "Cradle of Liberty,' 
as it appeared in 1765. 



* 



I56 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1766-1770. 

England as well as of the colonists. Parliament, however, put 
a sting in its repeal, for it passed a Declaratory Act, main- 
taining that the British government had the right to bind the 
colonies "in all cases whatsoever." At the time, the Ameri- 
cans did not see the full force of that declaration. 

But they saw it when the king sent troops to be quartered 
here at the expense of the people. New York promptly refused 
to pay the bill. Later, General Gage, the British commander 
at New York, was sent with two regiments to Boston (1768). 
These troops were quartered in the very centre of the town, 
and they had frequent quarrels with the citizens. Finally 
(1770) a fight occurred in which the soldiers fired, in self- 
defence, and killed several of the people. This was called 
the "Boston Massacre"; the citizens never forgot or forgave 
the blood stains then made on the snow of King Street. 1 
Later, that feeling showed itself in the destruction by the 
Rhode Islanders of the Gasfiee, an armed British vessel sta- 
tioned off the coast to prevent smuggling. 

159. The New Taxes; the "Boston Tea Party." — Mean- 
while (1767) the king and his party tried a new scheme of 
taxation. They imposed a duty on glass, paper, paints, and 
tea. The object of the Stamp Act had been to raise money 
fo pay the king's soldiers in this country. This new tax had 
not one object, but three: 1. To pay the soldiers sent here 
to do the king's will. 2. To pay the governors, judges, and 
other officers of the crown in the colonies. This would make 
them wholly dependent on the king, and they would no longer 
feel that they were responsible to the people or must do their 
best to serve them. 3. To give large sums of money to lead- 
ing citizens and thus hire them to use their influence for the 
king. 

1 King Street, now State Street. The soldiers were tried for murder ; John Adams 
and Josiah Quincy, Jr., of Boston, defended them. All but two were acquitted. They 
were convicted of manslaughter, and branded in the hand in open court. 



1767-1773.] 



THE r< BOSTON TEA PARTY." 



157 



But the Americans were not to be caught in this trap. They 
saw that George III. was endeavoring to exalt his own power and 
deprive them of theirs, and that the tax was for that purpose. 

, The great body of merchants throughout the colonies now 
agreed not to import the taxed articles. Others, like Samuel 



drink nothing, 



to eat 



Adams, bound themselves 
wear nothing " im- 
ported from Eng- 
land until all the 
duties on goods 
should be taken off. 

Parliament then 
decided to take off 
all taxes on these 
goods except one of 
a few cents a pound 
on tea. This duty 
was retained, not 
for the money it 
would yield, but to 
maintain the right 
of the British gov- 
ernment to tax the 

colonies. The price _ . . . * * u B • *■ - 

1 Samuel Adams, the Father of the Revolution. 

Of the tea WaS pur- i^From Miss Whitney's Statue of Adams, in Adams Square, 
pOSely put SO low Boston.) 

that the Americans could actually buy it, tax and all, cheaper 
than they could smuggle it from Holland. 1 

But though the colonists wanted the tea, they declared that 
they would not take it, even as a gift, if any tax, even the 
smallest, was demanded. Parliament again made the mistake 
of supposing that our forefathers did not mean what they said. 
Three tea-ships were accordingly sent to Boston, and cargoes 

1 Up to this time the colonists smuggled most of their tea from Holland ; only 
about one pound in ten came from England. 




I58 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORV. [1773-1774. 

were likewise despatched to New York, Philadelphia, and 
Charleston; 1 but they were sent back or destroyed. In Bos- 
ton (1773) the citizens refused to permit the tea to be landed. 
But if the ships were not unloaded within twenty days the % 
custom-house officers had the right to unload them. The nine- 
teenth day came, and unless something decisive should be done 
the tea would be brought ashore at sunrise the next morning. 
An immense meeting was held in the Old South Meeting- 
House. After discussing the matter all day, until evening 
set in, it was found impossible to get the vessels sent back to 
England. Samuel Adams then rose and said, " This meeting 
can do nothing more to save the country." These words were 
the signal for action. Suddenly a company of citizens disguised 
as Indians appeared at the church door and gave a war-whoop. 
Then they rushed down to the wharf, and, going on board the 
vessels, emptied every chest of tea — about $100,000 worth — 
into the harbor. A Bostonian had jokingly asked, " Will tea 
mix with salt water ? " The patriots settled that question and 
the tax at the same time. 

160. Parliament closes the Port of Boston and places a Military 
Governor over the People; the First Continental Congress; Action of 
Massachusetts; the "Minute Men." — When Parliament heard of 
the destruction of the tea the wrath of the king's party rose 
to white heat. They passed a law (1774) which closed the 
port of Boston to all trade until the people should pay for the 
tea, and make humble submission to the king. A second law 
took the government entirely out of the hands of the people, 
and put the colony under the rule of General Gage, 2 who was 
sent from England to Boston with several regiments of soldiers. 
Two other arbitrary measures enacted by Parliament completed 
the "Intolerable Acts," as the Americans called them. a 

1 A vessel laden with tea was burned at Annapolis, 1774. 

2 General Gage (see page 156) was one of those who took part in Braddock's 
disastrous expedition. (See Paragraph 141.) He was in England in 1773. 

3 These were the Transportation and the Quebec Acts. The first gave British 



1774.] 



THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS. 



159 



Patrick Henry of Virginia was so indignant at this treat- 
ment of Massachusetts that he said in the Virginia Conven- 
tion, " There is no longer any room for hope. We must fight. 
I repeat it, sir ; we 
must fight." " Com- 
mittees of Corre- 
spondence " had 
prepared the colonies 
for united action, and 
in 1774 a Continental 
or General Congress 
— the first ever held 
in America — met in 
Carpenters' Hall, 
Philadelphia, to con- 
sider what course 
the colonies should 
take. 

The spirit of that 
Congress was unmis- 
takable. It was per- 
fectly calm, perfectly respectful, but perfectly determined. The 
delegates who met there, of whom George Washington was 
one, did not demand representation in Parliament — they had 
got beyond that — ~they demanded the right to levy all taxes, 
and make all laws (except those respecting foreign commerce 
and the like), in their own colonial assemblies. 1 

officers who were accused of committing murder — as in the case of the " Boston 
Massacre " — the right of trial in England, where, of course, everything would be in 
their favor. (By a law of a different date, Americans who committed murder, in 
resisting oppression, might be sent to England for trial, where, of course, everything 
would be against them.) The Quebec Act united the territory north of the Ohio and 
east of the Mississippi — which the colonists considered theirs — with Canada. The 
object was to conciliate the French Canadians, and, if need be, to get their help in 
punishing the colonists. 

1 They declared (Declaration of Rights, October 14, 1774) that since they " cannot 
be properly represented in the British Parliament, they are entitled to a free and 




Minute Man. 



i6o 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORV. [1774-1775. 



Not long after this, Massachusetts set up a government 
quite independent of the military rule of General Gage, and 
made John Hancock, a wealthy and influential merchant of 
Boston, head of ir. The colony 1 next raised twelve thousand 
volunteers, of whom one-third were "Minute Men"; that is, 
men ready to march or fight at a minute's notice. The spirit 
of liberty was universal — as a South Carolina paper said, "One 
soul animates 3,000,000 of brave Americans, though extended 
over a long tract of 3000 miles." 

1. From the Beginning of the War in 1775 by the Colo- 
nists in Defence of their Rights as English Subjects, 
to the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. 

161. The British Expedition to Lexington and Concord; Paul 
Revere; the Battle; the Retreat. — General Gage having learned 
that the colonists had stored 
a quantity of powder and pro- 
visions for the use of their 
militia, at Concord, about 
twenty miles from Boston, 
sent a secret expedition to 
destroy both. The soldiers 
were instructed to go by way 
of Lexington, and there arrest 

Samuel Adams and Tohn Han- SCALE OF MILES 

50 100 

cock, who were known to be 

stopping with a friend in that village. The London papers 

exclusive power of legislation in their several Provincial Legislatures." Yet this 
same Congress (October 26, 1774) sent a petition to the king, imploring him, ' ; as the 
loving Father of your whole People," to redress their wrongs. They might as well 
have petitioned the " Great Stone Face " in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. 

1 Practically Massachusetts had possessed an independent government ever since 
Governor Hutchinson, in 1772, refused to convene a legislature to settle the question 
of how the judges' salaries should be paid. Samuel Adams then organized "Com- 
mittees of Correspondence " by means of which the towns could consult on all public 
matters by letter. This method was extended by Virginia (1773) to other colonies, 
and thus prepared the way for calling a Continental Congress. 




1775.] 



LEXINGTON AND CONCORD. 



1(31 



boasted that the heads of these two prominent "rebels " would 
soon be on exhibition in that city; but, as Gage found out, 
Adams and Hancock were not the kind of men to lose their 
heads so easily. 

The British troops left Boston just before midnight of April 
1 8, 1775. Paul Revere, a noted Boston patriot, was on the 
watch ; at his request two signal lanterns flashed the news 
abroad from the steeple of the Old North Church, - — a church 
still standing, — and he galloped through the country giving 
the alarm. When he reached the house in Lexington where 
Hancock and Adams were asleep, a man on guard crie'd out 
to him, "Don't make so much noise." "Noise," shouted 
Revere, 1 " you '11 have noise enough before long; the 'regulars' 2 
are coming." 

Just before daybreak of April 19 the "regulars " marched 
on to the village green of Lexington where a number of 
" minute men " had collected. " Disperse, ye rebels!" shouted 
Pitcairn, the British commander. No one moved; then Pitcairn 
cried, " Fire! " A volley blazed out, and seven Americans fell 
dead. Some scattering shots were fired in return. Advancing 
to Concord, the soldiers destroyed such military stores as they 
could find ; at Concord Bridge they were met by the patriots. 
It was the opening battle of the Revolution, — several men fell 
on each side. There the first British were killed, there the 
first British graves were dug. The "regulars" then drew 
back, leaving the Americans in possession of the bridge, and 
began their march toward Boston." 

But the whole country was now aroused. The enraged 
farmers fired at the British from behind every wall, bush, and 
tree. The march became a retreat, the retreat something like 

1 Longfellow's - Paul Reveres Ride" is not strictly historical. 

2 The soldiers of the regular British army. 

3 When the news of the attack on Lexington and Concord reached England, a 
number of friends of the Americans and their cause made up a purse of S500 which 
they sent to Benjamin Franklin to distribute among the wounded patriots, and the 
wives and mothers of those who were killed by the British. 



1 62 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1775. 



a run. When the " regulars " got back to Lexington, where 
Lord Percy met them with reinforcements, they dropped pant- 
ing on the ground, " their tongues hanging out " like those of 
tired dogs. 1 From Lexington the " minute men " chased the 
British all the way to Charlestown. Nearly three hundred of 
the " red-coats," as the Americans nicknamed the English 
soldiers, lay dead or dying on the road. 

Percy had marched gaily out of Boston to the tune of 
" Yankee Doodle,' - played in ridicule of the Americans, but 
it was noticed that his band did not play it on re-entering the 
town — they had had quite enough of all that was "Yankee" 
for that day. 

The next morning the British army found themselves shut 
up in Boston. The Americans had surrounded it on the land 
side ; they dared the British to come out and fight — the siege 
of Boston had begun. 2 

162. Meeting of the Second Continental Congress ; Ethan Allen's 
Victories. — The Second Continental Congress met at Phila- 
delphia on May 10, 1775. It recognized George III. as the 
" rightful sovereign " of the American colonies, but it voted to 
raise 15,000 men to defend the liberties of the country. On 
the very day that Congress met, Ethan Allen, a " Green Moun- 
tain Boy," 3 surprised the sentinel on duty and got entrance 
with his men to Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. It 
was early in the morning and the garrison was asleep. Allen 
burst into the commandant's room and demanded the imme- 
diate and unconditional surrender of the fort. " By what au- 
thority ? " asked the astonished officer. " In the name of the 
great Jehovah and the Continental Congress," thundered 
Allen. 4 The commandant surrendered ; the Americans got 

1 So says an English officer, see Stedman's " American War," I. 118. 

2 See Map, page 163. 3 Allen was born in Litchfield, Connecticut (1737), 
but early removed to Bennington, Vermont, the " Green Mountain State." 

4 It is now denied that Allen used these words, but it is admitted that he used 
some that were even more emphatic. One thing is certain : the British commander 
understood him, and gave up the fort. 



1775.] 



BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. 



163 



possession of cannon, arms, and military stores which they 
sorely needed. Crown Point, a little fortress on the lake, 
north of Ticonderoga, was taken the next day. 

163. Washington appointed Commander-in-chief of the Continental 
Army; Battle of Bunker Hill. — Not long after this exploit, Con- 
gress appointed Washington commander-in-chief of the army 
around Boston. General Gage had received reinforcements 
from England under the command of Generals Howe, Clinton, 
and Burgoyne. He now had a force of about eight thousand 
men. Near the middle of June (1775), he planned an expe- 
dition to seize Bunker Hill. 1 This hill is in Charlestown, and 
overlooks part of Boston. Gage was afraid that the Ameri- 
cans might get possession of it ; if so, they could fire into his 
camp and make him very uncomfortable. 

What then was his surprise when he found on the morning 
of the 17th of June that the "rebels" had got the start of him 
and had actually seized and 
fortified the hill. During the 
night, while the British com- 
mander was peacefully sleep- 
ing, Colonel Prescott, aided 
later by General Putnam of 
Connecticut and General War- 
ren of Boston, had entrenched 
himself there with about fifteen 
hundred men. General Gage 
saw that he must drive the 
Americans from Bunker Hill 
or they would drive him out 

of Boston. He sent Howe to make the attack with three 
thousand British "regulars." The American officers ordered 
their men to wait — they had but little powder and that little 
was very precious. The word was : " Don't fire till you see 

1 The name Breed's Hill did not then exist. See Frothingham's "Joseph 
Warren," 507; and Winsor's "America," VI, 135. 





164 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1775. 

the white of their eyes." They obeyed; when they did fire 
the destruction of life was terrible. The smoke lifted and 
there lay "The 'red-coats ' stretched in windrows as a mower 
rakes his hay." 1 

The British fell back ; rallied, made a second attack and 
again fell back. A third time Howe led his men up the hill. 
This time he was successful. The Americans had tired their 
last round of ammunition, and fighting desperately with the 
butt ends of their muskets — they had no bayonets — and 
even with clubs and stones, they slowly retreated — driven 
back not because they had been defeated, but because they 
no longer had the means to continue the battle. 

In an hour and a half the British lost over a thousand 
men, out of three thousand. The American loss was also 
very heavy ; 2 among those who fell was the distinguished 
patriot, General Warren. During the engagement Howe 
ordered Charlestown to be fired, and by night the greater 
part of the town was in ashes. 

This act roused Benjamin Franklin's indignation and he 
wrote a letter to his former friend Strahan, a member of the 
English Parliament, which showed that though he was a man 
d of peace yet he knew when to be angry. 3 When General 
Washington heard how the Americans had fought at Bunker 
Hill he exclaimed, " The liberties of the country are safe ! " 

164. Washington takes Command of the Army ; Expedition against 
Quebec. — Washington reached Cambridge and took command 
of the army — a force of about fifteen thousand poorly armed 
and untrained men — early in July (1775)- Nothing was done 
that summer. But meanwhile Congress had learned that the 
British in Canada were intending to march down and attack 

1 See O. W. Holmes's fine poem, "Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill."' 

2 Our loss was 449, that of the British, 1054. When the English government got 
the news of the battle, Gage was ordered to return to England, and the command of 
all the British forces in the colonies was given to General Howe. 

3 See copy of this letter in Franklin's handwriting on page 165. 




FRANKLIN'S LETTER TO STRAHAN 



1775-1776.] EXPEDITION AGAINST QUEBEC. 



points in Northern New York. To give them something else 
to think of nearer home, General Montgomery of New York 
set out to take Quebec. He descended Lake Champlain and 
captured Montreal. Benedict Arnold of Connecticut, one of 
the bravest soldiers of the Revolution, 
started with a force of over a thousand 
men to join in the attack. Setting out 
from Newbury port, Massachusetts, Arnold 
undertook to make his way from the mouth 
of the Kennebec through the forests of 
Maine. He was six weeks getting across 
the wilderness. The suffering was so ter- 
rible that many men deserted, and the rest, 
after having been compelled to eat their 
moccasins, nearly perished. At last Arnold 
reached Quebec with his ragged, barefooted, 
half-starved, and sadly diminished little 
army. Montgomery joined him with a few 
hundred men, and with this small force they 
attempted, on the last day of the year 

(1775) , to storm "the strongest fortified city of America." 
Montgomery was killed at the head of his troops, and Arnold 
badly wounded — it would have been a happy thing for the 
latter if he, too, had fallen dead on the field. A few months 
later the Americans were driven out of Canada. 

165. Washington enters Boston; the British repulsed at Fort 
Moultrie. — Throughout the winter of 1775-76 want of artil- 
lery and powder prevented Washington from doing anything 
more than simply keeping up the siege of Boston. At length 
General Knox succeeded in dragging fifty cannon on ox-sleds 
all the way from Ticonderoga 1 to Cambridge. Early in March 

(1776) Washington seized Dorchester Heights (South Boston) 

1 See Paragraph 162. A distance of about 200 miles, most of the way through a 
country that was practically a wilderness. 




SCALE Of MILES 

5 25 $0 1S0 
Map showing Arnold' 
Route to Quebec. 



1 66 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [i?76. 



overlooking Boston on the south. He got his cannon into posi- 
tion and then gave General Howe — who had succeeded Gage 
in command — his choice of withdrawing his forces from the 
town or having it battered to pieces about his ears. Howe 
took a good look, through his spy-glass, at the American guns 
on the Heights, and then gave the order to his men to embark 
(March 17 — St. Patrick's Day — 
1776) for Halifax. 

The following day Washington 
entered Boston in triumph. The 
British had left it never to return. 
With them went about a thousand 
Tories, as those Americans were 
called who opposed the war and 
wished to submit to the king. The 
Whigs, or patriots, now held a day 
of rejoicing, and Congress voted 
Washington a gold medal to com- 
memorate his bloodless victory. 

About midsummer (June 28, 1776) 
a British fleet 1 attacked Fort Sulli- 
van, on Sullivan's Island, in the har- 
bor of Charleston, South Carolina. 
Their hope was to get possession of 
the city; but Colonel Moultrie, aided 
by such heroes as Sergeant Jasper, 
defended their log fort with such energy that the enemy were 
not sorry to withdraw. Thereafter it was called Fort Moultrie 
in honor of its brave commander. 




Reduced Copy of the Gold Mede 
presented to Washington 
by Congress. 



166. " Common Sense " ; the Americans decide to separate from 
Great Britain. — Up to 1776 the Americans had been fighting 

1 General Clinton left Boston in the winter of 1776 and sailed to attack the Caro- 
linas. He was joined there by a fleet from England under Sir Peter Parker and Lord 
Cornwallis. After their defeat at Fort Sullivan, Cornwallis and Clinton, with their 
men, went to New York. 



1776.] 



" COMMON SENSE. 



167 



in defence of their rights as British subjects. Washington 
said : " When I first took command of the Continental army I 
abhorred the idea of independence." But in January, 1776, 
the king's proclamation reached Congress. In it he called for 
troops to put down " the rebellion " in America. That was 
the only answer he gave to their humble petition 1 for justice. 
Congress now saw that there was no hope of reconciliation. 
The very day that proclamation came, a remarkable pamphlet 
was published in Philadelphia. It was entitled "Common 
Sense." The writer withheld his name, 2 but he boldly 
said that the time had come for a " final separation " from 
England, and that "arms must decide the contest." The 
pamphlet sold by tens of thousands, because it gave voice to 
what tens of thousands were thinking. The English people 
would not volunteer to fight the Americans, and the king had 
to hire, in all, nearly thirty thousand Hessians 3 for the work. 
The knowledge of that j 



1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia offered this resolution 
in Congress: " Resolved: that these United Colonies are, and 
of right ought to be, free and independent states." John 

1 See note 1 on page 159. 2 The writer was Thomas Paine, an Englishman 
who had come to this country and espoused the cause of American liberty. 

3 Hessians : Germans from the province of Hesse and vicinity. The Prince of 
Hesse sold their services to the English king. The Germans had no voice in the 
matter, and had to go and fight where they were sent. Eighteen thousand were 
sent over the first year and eleven thousand afterward. 



167. The Declaration of 
Independence. — In June, 



fact cut the last thread 
that held us bound to the 
mother-country. The 
Americans had not sought 
separation; the king — 
not the English people — 
had forced it on them. 
There was no choice left. 




1 68 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



[.776. 



Adams of Massachusetts seconded the resolution. A com- 
mittee of five — Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams 
of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger 
Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert R. Livingston of New 
York — was chosen to draw up a declaration embodying that 
resolution. Thomas Jefferson did the work. On the Fourth 
of July, 1776, John Hancock, President of Congress, signed 
the Declaration of American Independence in that bold, 



Reduced copy of the last line of the Declaration of Independence (in Jefferson's 



decided hand which "the king of England could read without 
spectacles." Then the patriots of Philadelphia rang the " Lib- 
erty Bell " in the Old State House till it nearly cracked with 
the joyous peal. In New York City the people pulled down a 
gilded lead statue of the king and melted it up into bullets. 

Later, the representatives of the colonies added their names 
to the Declaration. That completed the work ; the thirteen 
British colonies had ceased to exist ; in their place stood a 
new nation — the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,— 
your country and mine. 





handwriting) with the first three signatures. 



168. Summary. — George III. endeavored to tax the colo- 
nists against their will, and in violation of their rights as 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 



1776.] THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 1 69 

English subjects. They resisted, and finally took up arms in 
their defence. The king refused to listen to the demands of 
the Americans, hired a foreign army to subdue the people, and 
so drove them, at last, to 
separate from Great Britain 
and to declare themselves 
independent. 

2. The War of Independ- 
ence, from July 4, 1776, 
to the Victory of Sara- 
toga, 1777. 

169. What the British hoped 
to do in I^ew York. — Driven 
out of Boston and defeated 
at Fort Moultrie the British 
determined to strike their 
next blow at New York. 
Their plan was to get pos- 
session of the city and of the 
Hudson River. They could 
then prevent the New England colonists and those south 
of New York from giving each other any help ; for our force 
on land was small, and we had no vessels of war to attack 
the enemy by sea. 

If the British were successful in thus cutting the colonies in 
two, they could then send a large force against Boston or Phila- 
delphia, whichever they thought best, and feel sure that the 
people of the two sections could not unite to defend either. 

170. Washington's Preparations to receive the British ; Fort 
Washington and Fort Lee. — Washington foresaw this design of 
the enemy and prepared for it. When General Howe, with 
his brother, Lord Howe, commander of the English fleet, 
reached New York in the summer (1776) they found Wash- 




Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Philadelphia. 
(It was cracked in 1835, while tolling for the 
death of Chief Justice Marshall.) 



I/O LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1776. 



ington in possession of the city. Furthermore, they found, to 
their disappointment, that they could not send their ships up 
the Hudson so easily as they had hoped, for the Americans 
had built two forts expressly to prevent it. One of these was 
Fort Washington, on the upper part of Manhattan Island, on 
the bank of the Hudson ; the other was Fort Lee, nearly 
opposite, on the Jersey shore. 1 Between these two forts ves- 
sels had been sunk, so that ii any of the enemy's ships tried 
to go up the river they would first be checked by the sunken 
vessels, and next, they would be exposed to the cross fire from 
the cannon of both forts. 

171. The Two Armies; the Battle of Long Island. — But the 

British were confident that they could win the day. Howe 
and his brother were experienced military commanders. They 
had the aid of Clinton and Cornwallis, 2 both of whom were 
good generals, and over thirty thousand well-armed soldiers — 
men who fought for a living — while Washington had less than 
eighteen thousand, most of whom knew nothing of war, while 
many had no muskets fit to fight with. On the other hand, 
Washington had the advantage of position. He not only held 
the city and the forts on the Hudson, but 
he had possession of Brooklyn Heights on 
Long Island directly opposite the city on 
the south. General Howe, with his army, 
was on Staten Island. He saw that if he 
could take Brooklyn Heights, and plant 
his cannon there, he could drive Washing- 
ton out of New York, just as Washington, 
by seizing Dorchester Heights, had driven him out of Boston. 3 
General Putnam was in command of the Heights with a 

1 See map of New York City and vicinity, page 156. 

2 See note 1, page 166. Cornwallis, though he fought against us, was strongly 
opposed to the war, and believed that the Americans were right in protesting against 
taxation so long as they were denied representation. 

3 See Paragraph 165. 




1776.] THE BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND. 1 7 1 

force of nine thousand men. Believing that the British meant 
to attack him, he sent about half his force to meet the enemy. 
The British, twenty thousand strong, or nearly five to one of 
the Americans, came across from Staten Island and landing 
on the southwestern shore of Long Island began their march 
toward the Heights. They soon met and defeated 1 the little 
army sent against them in what was called the battle of Long 
Island (August 27, 1776). They then got ready to besiege 
Putnam. 

Putnam with his whole army would certainly have been 
captured if it had not been for Washington's energy and skill. 
During the night a dense fog came up. Washington took 
advantage of it and succeeded in getting all the men across 
the river in boats to New York. In the morning, when the 
British commander stretched out his hand to take the " nest 
of rebels," as he called it, he got the nest indeed, but it was 
empty — the birds had flown. 

172. Washington retreats Northward; Fort Washington taken; 
Lee's Disobedience. — Washington was now forced to abandon 
New York and retreat up the east side of the river. The Brit- 
ish ships passed Fort Washington and Fort Lee. Washington 
ordered West Point, 2 the strongest place on the Hudson, to be 
fortified, so as to prevent the enemy from going up to Albany. 
Meanwhile a deserter had carried plans of Fort Washington to 
the British commander. He now knew just where to strike, 
and took the fort with three thousand prisoners. It was a 
terrible blow. Washington had crossed to the west bank of 
the river, but could not hold his ground against Lord Cornwallis, 
for he had left quite a large force of his best soldiers on the 
east side of the Hudson under command of General Charles 

1 Each side lost about 400 in killed and wounded ; but over 1000 Americans were 
taken prisoners. Many of these prisoners died from their sufferings in the British 
prison pens. 

2 West Point, on the west bank of the Hudson in the Highlands, 45 miles above 
New York. See Map, page 172. 



172 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1776. 



Lee, 1 and when Washington ordered him to come over and 
join him, Lee wilfully disobeyed. 

173. Fort Lee taken; Washington retreats across the Delaware; 
General Lee captured. — It was of no use for the Americans to 
try to hold Fort Lee now that the fort opposite was taken. 
Cornwallis threatened to attack it and it was abandoned. 
Washington with his small force now began to retreat across 

New Jersey. He broke 
down bridges after he had 
crossed them ; destroyed 
the provisions Cornwallis 
hoped to get for his army, 
and so delayed the enemy 
that it took them nearly 
three weeks (November 19 
to December 8) to march 
less than seventy miles 
across a level country. 
Washington hoped to save 
Philadelphia from falling 
into the hands of the Brit- 
ish. If he could not, and 
everything went against 
him, he intended to escape 
with his little army to the 
mountains of Western Virginia, which he knew perfectly. 
There he could fight for years in the cause of liberty. Corn- 
wallis and his "redcoats" followed the retreating Americans 
sometimes at a distance, then again close on their heels. There 

1 General Charles Lee was born in England. He had been an officer in the British 
army, but had left that service, come to this country, and had obtained the rank of 
major-general in the American army. He was in no way connected with the Lees 
of Virginia. While he was in command on the Hudson he was trying to prejudice 
Congress against Washington, in hope of getting his place. Later he showed himself 
to be utterly unprincipled and treacherous. 




1776.] 



WASHINGTON RETREATS. 



173 



were times when the British would be entering a town just as 
our men were hurrying out of it. Many patriots began to 
despair of success. What, they asked, can we hope from a 
fugitive army of three thousand men. miserably armed, scantily 
clothed, half-fed, not paid ? How can they escape their pur- 
suers ? Under any other general they could not have escaped; 
but they had Washington for their leader ; and he was the heart, 
strength, and soul of the Revolution. Finding that he could 
not hold Xew Jersey, he was forced at last (December 8, 1776) 
to cross the Delaware at Trenton. The British would have 
pushed on after him ; but the American general had thought 
of that, and had seized every boat for nearly a hundred miles 
up and down the river. All the British could do was to sit 
down on the bank and wait for the stream to freeze over. 

Xot long after Washington had reached Pennsylvania in 
safety the false-hearted Lee crossed the Hudson and marched 
with four thousand men toward Morristown, Xew Jersey. 
While he was asleep in a tavern, several miles from his men, 
a squad of British soldiers surprised and captured him. His 
army thus fortunately rid of him, advanced and found an 
opportunity to join Washington. 

174. The Victory of Trenton. — On Christmas night ^ 1776) 
Washington, with a force of less than twenty-five hundred 
men, re-crossed the Delaware — then full of floating ice — and 
marched on Trenton in a furious snow-storm. There he sur- 
prised a body of Hessian 1 soldiers, and took a thousand 
prisoners and a large quantity of arms and ammunition. 

All this he did with scarce the loss of a man. It was not only 
a bold stroke, but a great victory, because it had great results. 
Thousands of patriots had begun to despair; now their hearts 
leaped with joy. It was a Christmas long to be remembered. 

175. What Robert Morris did for Washington. — But it was near 
the end of the year: the time for which many of Washington's 

1 See note 3. page 167. 



174 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1776. 



men had enlisted would be out in a few days, and he needed 
money to get them to re-enlist. Congress had indeed tried 
hard to manufacture money. It had printed bills 1 by the 
wagon-load. But the poor soldiers, barefooted, half-starved, 



make it good was worth just as much as any other dingy 
scrap of paper of the same size — and worth no more. 

Washington sympathized with the men. He felt that on this 
occasion he must have money that had the genuine ring in it. 
He wrote to his friend Robert Morris, merchant and banker, 
of Philadelphia, imploring him to send him $50,000 in hard cash. 
Morris set out on New Year's morning (1777) before it was light, 
went from house to house, roused his friends from their beds, 
and at last got the money. He sent it forthwith to Washington. 
It was as good as another victory. It saved the army. 

176. Cornwallis outwitted ; Victory of Princeton ; Winter Quar- 
ters at Morristown ; coming of Lafayette, De Kalb, and Steuben. — 

Cornwallis, leaving part of his force at Princeton, New Jersey, 
hurried south to catch Washington. He found him between 
Trenton and a bend of the Delaware. That night the British 
general went to sleep, certain that Washington could not get 
away. For how could he hope to escape, with the British 
army in front and the broad, deep Delaware River full of 

1 These bills were called "Continental Currency"; they finally became utterly 
worthless, so that it was said of anything absolutely good for nothing that it was 
" not worth a Continental." 




Robert Morris collecting Money 



ragged and miserable, did not 
want what Congress offered 
them. They had left wives 
and children at home who were 
crying for bread, and the men 
wanted to send them something 
that would buy it. They knew 
by sad experience that a dollar 
bill issued by a government 
that had no silver or gold to 



1777.] 



CORNWALLIS OUTWITTED. 



175 



floating ice behind him ? Cornwallis told his brother officers 
that they would " bag the old fox " in the morning. While 
the English general lay dreaming, Washington like an "old 
fox " crept stealthily round him, and got to Princeton. In 
the battle there (January 3, 1777), the American advance force 
was driven back. Just then Washington came up. He saw 
that if beaten our army would be lost. Calling on his troops 
to follow him, he rode to within thirty yards of the British 
force, and stood facing the foe, exposed to the fire of both 
sides. For some moments he was completely hidden from 
sight by the smoke of the battle. When it lifted, both sides 
expected to find that he had fallen ; but he was unhurt — not 
a bullet had touched him. Our men, inspired by the bravery 
of their commander, defeated the enemy with heavy loss to the 
British ; and soon after, the American general with his little 
army made themselves snug and safe in the hills about Morris- 
town, in northern New Jersey. 

Cornwallis knew that he could not drive Washington out of 
his strong position without a desperate battle, so he hurried 
back to New Brunswick, New Jersey, for fear that the Amer- 
icans would cut him off from his supplies at New York City. 

Washington spent the rest of the winter of 1777 at Morris- 
town, raising new troops and getting his army into good fight- 
ing condition. The next summer the Marquis de Lafayette, 
a French nobleman of nineteen, came from Paris to offer his 
services to the cause of American liberty. He became one of 
Washington's generals, and not only gave his services to the 
country, but equipped many of the men under his command 
with arms and clothing furnished at his own expense. Lafay- 
ette brought with him Baron de Kalb, a German military 
veteran, who also became a general in the United States army. 
Later, Baron Steuben, a Prussian military engineer, joined 
the Americans and made himself of the greatest use in drilling 
and disciplining our troops. 1 

1 Kosciusko and Pulaski, two eminent Polish patriots, joined our army in 1777. 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[l777. 



177. Burgoyne's Expedition; Battle of Bennington. — Mean- 
while, in the summer of 1777, the British had made anew 
move. General Burgoyne, 1 who had gone to Canada, marched 
down with eight thousand picked men by way of Lake Cham- 
plain, and took Fort Ticon- 
deroga. He then pressed 
forward to reach the Hudson, 
with the expectation that part 
of General Howe's army would 
meet him there. Meanwhile, 
another British expedition, 
starting from Oswego, was to 
raise a force of Iroquois In- 
dians and unite with Bur- 
goyne. Thus the three 
English armies expected to 
get the entire control of the 
state of New York and the 
Hudson River, and so carry 
out their favorite plan of cutting off New England — "the 
head of the rebellion" — from the other colonies. 

The Oswego expedition accomplished nothing ; but all went 
well with Burgoyne until he struck into the wilderness south of 
Lake Champlain. Then his troubles began. General Schuyler 2 
broke down all the bridges, felled trees across the only road 
there was through the woods, and did everything to make 
Burgoyne's life a burden to him. To add to his misfortunes, 
the British general's horses and provisions began to give out. 
He sent an expedition with a thousand men to Bennington, 
Vermont, to get more. Colonel John Stark, 3 one of the heroes 
of Bunker Hill, with a small force, started to meet the enemy. 

1 See Paragraph 163. Burgoyne returned to England from Boston in the 
autumn of 1775. In June, 1776, he came over to America to serve under Sir Guy 
Carleton, the British commander of Canada. 3 See Paragraph 40. 

2 General Philip Schuyler of Albany, New York. 




1777.] 



BATTLE OP BENNINGTON. 



177 



Pointing to the " red-coats," he said, "There they are, boys; 
we beat them to-day or Mollie Stark 's 1 a widow." Mrs. Stark 
had no occasion to put on mourning ; for her husband, with 
his men, whipped the British (August 16, 1777) so badly that 
less than a hundred out of the thousand ever got back to 
Burgoyne. Washington called the victory a "great stroke." 
It was, indeed ; for by weakening Burgoyne's force, and pre- 
venting his getting provisions, it prepared the way for his 
final downfall. 

178. Howe's Expedition to Pennsylvania; Battle of Brandy- 
wine; Philadelphia taken; Battle of Germantown. — While these 
events were happening Howe started to march to Philadelphia. 
Washington had not men enough to meet him in open fight, 
but he so worried him, and 
wasted his time, that the 
British general finally went 
back with his army to 
New York in disgust. 
He then started by sea. 
Finding that he could 
not go up the Delaware, 
which was fortified against 
him, he sailed south, en- 
tered Chesapeake Bay, and 
landing at the head of it, 
marched against Philadel- 
phia. Washington met him 
at Brandywine Creek, and 
tried to check his advance ; 
but Howe had a much 
stronger force, and the bat- 
tle (September 11, 1777) delayed but did not stop the British. 
Two weeks later the enemy entered the city which was then the 

1 As Mrs. Stark's name was Elizabeth, this story has been called in question ; 
but the fact remains that Stark thrashed the enemy. 




I78 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1777. 



capital of the United States. Leaving a small force at Ger- 
mantown, now a part of Philadelphia, Howe went down the 
Delaware to capture the forts and get possession of that river. 
While he was gone Washington attacked the British at Ger- 
mantown, but was repulsed. He then fell back to the hills 
on the Schuylkill at Valley Forge, about twenty miles north- 
west of Philadelphia. 

179. Saratoga; the "Stars and Stripes"; Help from France. 

— Meanwhile, great events had happened in the North. Bur- 
goyne had fought two battles in the neighborhood of Saratoga 
(1777), 1 had been utterly defeated, and his entire army, num- 
bering about six thousand men, captured. If to this number 
we add that of the prisoners taken by us before the sur- 
render, and the loss of the enemy at Bennington, 2 it will give 
a total of nearly 10,000 — or about one-third the entire British 
force then in America. 3 The captured army was marched off 
by the American officers triumphantly bearing the " stars and 
stripes," 4 which had just been adopted as our national flag. 
General Gates 5 got the credit of the victory ; but Benedict 
Arnold, and Daniel Morgan, 6 with his sharpshooters, were the 

1 The first battle was at Bemis Heights, between Saratoga Lake and the Hudson, 
September 19 ; the second, at Stillwater, south of the Heights, October 7. Burgoyne 
surrendered at Saratoga, October 17 (1777). See Map on page 176. 

2 See Paragraph 177. 

3 The estimates of Burgoyne's loss vary from about 6,000 at Saratoga to a total 
(for his entire campaign in New York) of 14,000. 

4 The first United States flag (adopted by Congress, June 14, 1777) having the 
stars and stripes, was made, it is said, out of a soldier's white shirt, an old blue 
army overcoat, and a red flannel petticoat. It was hoisted by our army at Fort 
Stanwix (near Rome), New York, during Burgoyne's campaign in 1777. Paul 
Jones appears to have first raised this flag at sea. The flag raised by Washington 
at Cambridge when he took command of the army was the English flag with 
thirteen red and white stripes added. In the flag adopted by Congress the stars 
represent all the states ; the stripes, the first thirteen states. 

5 General Gates, like General Charles Lee (see Paragraph 172), was born in 
Great Britain, and had served in the English army. He appears to have taken no 
direct part in these battles ; in fact, he was not actually on the field in either. 

6 Daniel Morgan of Virginia. He commanded a force of five hundred picked 
riflemen — " sharpshooters " — with aim so accurate that it was humorously said 



1777.] 



CAPTURE OF BURGOYNE. 



179 



men who really won it, partly by gallant fighting, and partly 
by cutting off all supplies from the enemy, and at last literally 
starving them into a surrender. 

In the wars of over twenty centuries an eminent English 
writer finds only fifteen battles that have had a lasting influ- 
ence on the world's history. The American victory at Sara- 
toga, he says, was one of them. 1 It had indeed these two 
immense results: 1. It completely broke up the English plans 
for the war. 2. It secured for us the aid of England's old and 
powerful enemy, France. 

Some time after the victory, Lafayette received letters from 
Paris. When he had read them he ran to Washington, and 
embracing him with tears of joy, cried out, "The King, my 
master, has acknowledged the independence of America, and 
will sign a treaty to help you establish it." It was true. Men 
are usually willing to help those who show that they are able 
to help themselves. We had shown it, and now France held 
out her hand to us. The next year (February 6, 1778) Ben- 
jamin Franklin, our minister 2 at Paris, obtained the treaty or 
agreement by which the French king pledged himself to send 
us men, ships, and money to complete the war. Franklin and 
Washington were, in fact, the two great men who carried 
the war through to final success : Washington by destroying 
enemies, Franklin by gaining friends ; Washington by the 
sword, Franklin, like Morris, with the purse. 3 

180. Summary. — The war of Independence began with the 
Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. In the first battle, 

that any one of them could toss up an apple and shoot all the seeds out of it as it 
fell. The enemy who had to face these riflemen never disputed the story. 

1 " The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World," by Sir Edward S. Creasy. 

2 Minister : see note i, page 188. 

3 Franklin lent all his ready money — about fifteen thousand dollars — to the 
country, to fight the battles of the Revolution, and lent it when everything looked 
against us. His influence got us a gift from France — nearly two million dollars — 
and a loan of over three million dollars more. Thus he used his own purse and the 
purse of the French king to help us. 



l80 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1778. 



that of Long Island, the Americans were defeated. Wash- 
ington retreated across the Delaware, but returned and gained 
the brilliant victory of Trenton. Howe took Philadelphia; 
but shortly after, the Americans captured Burgoyne and his 
whole army at Saratoga ; in consequence of that success 
France recognized the independence of America, and pledged 
herself to help us fight our battles by land and sea. 

3. The War of Independence : from the Treaty with 
France to the End of the War, 17 78-1 783. 

181. Washington at Valley Forge, Winter of 1777-1778; Peace 
offered ; Howe leaves Philadelphia. — But though the great vic- 
tory of Saratoga filled the land with joy, yet the winter which 
followed was a terrible one. While Howe and his officers 
were living luxuriously in Philadelphia, Washington's men, 
"naked and starving," were dying of putrid fever on the 
frozen hillsides of Valley Forge. They were dying, too, before 
the good news could reach them — for news from Europe trav- 
elled very slowly in those days — that the French king would 
certainly aid America. 

But the next spring (1778) England, alarmed at the action 
of France in taking our part, offered us peace, representation 
in Parliament — anything, everything in fact, but independ- 
ence. But it was independence that we were fighting for, 
and the offer was rejected. Fear of the approaching French 
fleet now compelled the British 1 to abandon Philadelphia and 
start for New York. 

182. Battle of Monmouth; Lee's Disgrace ; Indian Massacres; 
Clark's Victories in the West. — Fifteen thousand of the Eng- 
lish forces were to go by land across New Jersey. Now was 

1 General Howe resigned in the winter of ijjj-jS. His brother, Lord Howe, 
resigned the next summer (1778). Sir Henry Clinton succeeded General Howe in 
command of the army (May, 1779), and Admiral Byron succeeded Lord Howe in 
command of the British fleet. 



1778.] 



BATTLE OF MONMOUTH. 



181 



Washington's opportunity. With about the same number he 
followed them up sharply. A battle was fought at Monmouth 
(June 28, 1778). It would have ended in a brilliant victory 
for our side, if General Charles Lee, 1 who unfortunately had 
come back to us, 2 had done his duty. He acted like a lunatic 
or a traitor. Washington sternly rebuked him, and shortly 
after ordered him to withdraw from the battle and go to the 
rear. Later, Lee was tried by court-martial 3 for disobedience 
and misbehavior, and suspended from the army; eventually 
Congress dismissed him in disgrace, and in disgrace he died. 

Monmouth 4 was the last battle of note fought on northern 
soil. The British forces had now returned to New York and 
vicinity. Washington, with his army stretched out from Mor- 
ristown, New Jersey, to West Point on the Hudson, watched 
them day and night. 

In the summer and autumn horrible Indian massacres were 
committed by bands of ferocious Iroquois led by Tory 5 cap- 
tains at Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and Cherry Valley, New 
York ; there were also towns attacked and burned to ashes 
along the coast ; but no great battle was fought. In the West, 
Captain George Rogers Clark of Virginia by his resolute bravery 
drove the British out of Illinois and later from Indiana, thus se- 
curing that immense region to the United States. It began to 
look as though the British were losing their grip on America. 

183. The British attack the South ; Savannah taken ; Wayne's 
Victory ; Paul Jones. — The enemy now transferred the war to 
the South. Their plan was to begin at Georgia, and conquer 
northward. Then, in case the English government was forced 
to make peace, they hoped to be able to keep the southern 
territory — King George was prudent: " Half a loaf," said 

1 See Paragraph 173. 

2 While Lee was a prisoner, the English government thought of hanging him as 
a deserter from their army. Washington saved him from the gallows — it was one 
of the few mistakes that great man ever made. 4 Monmouth : see Map, page 177. 

3 A court composed of military officers. 5 See Paragraph 165. 



182 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1778-1779. 



he to himself, "is better than none." The last of the year 
(December 29, 1778) an expedition attacked Savannah. The 
British had three men to our one ; they took the city. 1 The 
next year (1779) there was a lull. The British had got posses- 
sion of the fort at Stony Point, 2 in the Highlands of the Hudson. 
So long as they held it, our men could not cross the river at 
King's Ferry — then the principal crossing-place between New 
England and the southern states. "Mad Anthony Wayne," 3 
under Washington's direction, stormed and took the fort (July, 
15, 1779), at midnight, at the point of the bayonet — never 
firing a shot during the battle. The capture of the fort stopped 
the British plans for ravaging Connecticut. They found that 
they must use all their forces to hold the Hudson. 

The next autumn brought glorious news. Captain Paul 
Jones, 4 the first man to hoist an American flag over an Ameri- 
can warship, had, with the help of 
Benjamin Franklin, fitted out three 
or four vessels in our defence. With 
three, one of them a half -rotten old 
hulk, he boldly attacked and captured 
two British men-of-war. The fight 
took place on the North Sea, off 
Flamborough Plead on the English 
coast. After that most humiliating 
defeat England still boasted that she 
was "mistress of the seas"; but the 
boast was in a lower tone : if Paul Jones had only had a few 
more ships, he would have made the tone a whisper. 

184. The British take Charleston ; Marion and Sumter's Mode of 
Fighting. — In the spring (1780) the war in the South was 

1 Here later (1779) Count Pulaski (note, page 175) fell fighting for American liberty. 

2 Stony Point : see Map, page 177. 

3 General Anthony Wayne of Pennsylvania. He was called " Mad Anthony 
Wayne " on account of his daring. 

4 Paul Jones was by birth a Scotchman. He entered the American service in 
1775. His name was originally John Paul. 




1 



1780.] 



CHARLESTON TAKEN. 



183 



renewed with vigor. The British took Charleston (May 12, 
1780), and Lord Cornwallis held the city. But Marion 1 and 
Sumter, with their bands of resolute men armed with a few 
guns, and weapons made of old scythes and saw-blades, did 
good service in the American cause. When the British forces 
went out to conquer the country, the Carolina patriots attacked 
them as the mosquitoes of Alaska attack a bear. They buzz, 
sting, retreat ; advance, buzz, sting ; till at last the unwieldy 
brute, w T ith eyes swollen so that he can no longer see, wanders 
around helpless, and dies of starvation. 

185. Loss of Camden ; Victory at King's Mountain. — The 

British had a small force at Camden, 2 South Carolina — a 
great centre for roads, and hence of much importance from 
a military point of view. General Gates with General De 
Kalb resolved to attempt the capture of the place before 
Cornwallis could arrive there, but Cornwallis reached Cam- 
den first. A battle was fought (August 16, 1780) in which 
Gates was compelled to retreat, losing artillery and baggage, 
and narrowly escaping capture himself. 

But while Cornwallis was chuckling over his victory, the 
backwoodsmen of this part of the country, sharpshooters, 
every man, attacked a British force at King's Mountain (Oc- 
tober 7, 1780), on the borders of North and South Carolina, 
and gave a decided check to the enemy's further advance. 

186. Arnold's Treason; the Terrible Winter at Morristown. — 

Meanwhile (September 22, 1780), the most startling and the 
saddest event of the Revolution occurred. Benedict Arnold, 
Washington's trusted friend, commander at West Point, had 
turned traitor. The discovery was made through tire arrest 
of Andre, 3 a British spy by whom Arnold attempted to send a 
plan of the fort to the British commander at New York. Andre 
was tried and hanged, but Arnold escaped to the British army. 

1 See Paragraph 117. 2 Camden: see Map, page 185. 3 Andre (An'dray). 



184 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1780-1781. 



Later, the traitor led an attack on Richmond, Virginia, and 
burnt it, and, last of all, one on New London in his native 
state of Connecticut. 

Arnold died in London twenty years later. It is said that 
the last request he made was that the epaulettes and sword- 
knot which Washington had given him might be brought. 
"Let me die," said he, "in my old American uniform, in 
which I fought my battles. God forgive me for ever having 
put on any other ! " 

The gloom of Arnold's awful act of treason seemed to be 
reflected in the American camp at Morristown in the terrible 
winter (1 780-1 781) which followed. In some respects it was 
worse even than that at Valley Forge ; and the men, unpaid, 
half-fed, freezing, were driven to desperation and partial revolt. 

• 187. Greene's Campaign in the South ; Cornwallis leaves the 
Carolinas. — But it was the gloom that precedes the dawn. 
General Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island had been placed 
in command at the South. Next to Washington he was by 
far the ablest soldier in the Revolution. With a little force 
that seemed, as he said, but "the shadow of an army," he 
accomplished wonders. 

Early in the year (January 17, 1781) a part of Greene's men, 
led by Morgan, 1 gained the battle of Cowpens, South Carolina. 
Then Greene, who was master of the game he was now play- 
ing, retreated toward Virginia, thus drawing Cornwallis, who 
followed him, further and further away from his supplies at 
Charleston. But the American general had many anxious days 
during this retreat, and often the chances of success seemed 
wholly against him. 

On one such occasion he reached Steele's tavern at Salisbury 
after midnight and wet to the skin with the heavy rain that 
had fallen all day. Steele looked at him in astonishment and 
asked if he was alone. 



1 See Paragraph 179. 



1781.] 



GREENE S CAMPAIGN. 



"Yes," answered the general, "tired, hungry, alone, and 
penniless." Mrs. Steele heard his reply ; she made haste and 
set a smoking hot breakfast before the weary, despondent sol- 
dier. Then she carefully shut the door, and drawing two bags 
of silver from under her apron she held them out to her guest. 




"Take these," said she, "you need them and I can do with- 
out them." 

It was such noble-hearted women as Mrs. Elizabeth Steele 
who helped our men to keep up heart to the end. The honor 
shall be theirs so long as history lasts. 

At Guilford Court House (now Greensborough), North Caro- 
lina, Cornwallis defeated the Americans (March 15, 1781), but 
he himself lost so heavily that he could not hold his ground, 
and had to retreat to Wilmington, North Carolina. He arrived 
there (April 7, 1781) in miserable plight, having lost about half 
of his small army by battle, sickness, or desertion. At Wil- 
mington Cornwallis found, as he expected, some provisions 



1 86 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1781. 

and military supplies which a British expedition from Charles- 
ton had landed there ; but he also found what he did not ex- 
pect, that was, news that Greene had suddenly gone back to 
attack the English force under Lord Rawdon left at Camden, 
South Carolina. Cornwallis was in no condition to wheel about 
and follow Greene. What, then, should he do ? He turned 
that question over and over in his mind ; finally he decided 
that his best plan was to march northward to Petersburg, Vir- 
ginia. There he hoped to unite with a British force sent from 
New York ; then, having conquered Virginia, he would go 
back and reconquer the Carolinas. 

188. Greene's Campaign in South Carolina. — Cornwallis started 
on his long march of 200 miles. Meanwhile Greene, aided by 
Marion, Sumter, and Pickens, had driven the British from Cam- 
den (May 10, 1 781). Through the summer he struck the enemy 
blow after blow, and ended with a battle, which was practically 
a victory, at Eutaw Springs, South Carolina (September 8, 1781). 
After that the British — what there was left of them — fled to 
Charleston, shut themselves up there, and did not venture out. 
Greene had in fact won back the Carolinas ; and he had won 
them, thanks to the help given by Marion, Sumter, and Pickens, 
with an army which did not number more than about two 
thousand men. To accomplish much with small means is a 
sure sign of greatness. Greene had done this, and Washington 
was the man who taught him. 

189. The Crowning Victory of the War. — Cornwallis reached 
Virginia, and after vainly pursuing Lafayette and destroying 
millions of dollars' worth of property he entered Yorktown, on 
a narrow peninsula at the mouth of the York River. He went 
there not because he wanted to, but because he must. Corn- 
wallis had been chasing Lafayette ; he boastingly said, " The 
boy cannot escape me." But "the boy," Lafayette, with a 
larger army had turned round and begun chasing him. Corn- 
wallis moved to Yorktown (July 30, 1781) to get help by sea 



1781.] 



CORNWALLIS SURRENDERS. 



IS/ 



from New York. There the British general fortified himself. 
He did not know it, but he was building his own prison — 
one that he would never get out of except by surrender. 
While he was waiting for soldiers to arrive from New York 
a French fleet of war-ships under 
Count de Grasse 1 was coming to 
block him in. Now was Washing- 
ton's chance to strike a tremen- 
dous blow. His plan was to march 
rapidly south from the Hudson to 
Yorktown, and with the help of the 
French fleet and French troops 
and of Lafayette and his army to 
capture Cornwallis with his whole 
force. Such a move required a 
large amount of money for provi- 
sions, pay, and powder. Robert 
Morris 2 came to the rescue 
and is said to have furnished 
nearly a million and a half of dollars for the good work. 

Clinton, at the head of the British force in New York, 
thought Washington was getting ready to attack him. Wash- 
ington encouraged him to think so. He went on making every 
possible preparation for moving against New York. Even 
Washington's own army supposed that was his intention. 
When at length everything was ready Washington suddenly 
broke camp and marched his entire force with all possible 
speed across the country to the head of Chesapeake Bay and 
thence by vessels to Yorktown. 

Cornwallis looked over the walls of his fortified town. He 
saw the French fleet on one side, and the American and the 
French army, 16,000 strong, 3 on the other. He held out raan- 

1 De Grasse (Deh Grahss). 2 See Paragraph 175. Professor Sumner thinks 
that Morris furnished means of transportation and subsistence but not money. 
3 The allied army comprised 9000 Americans and 7000 French. 




1 88 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1781. 

fully for more than a week against solid shot, shell, red-hot 
balls. Then seeing that it was useless to struggle against fate 
he surrendered. His army marched out October 19, 1781, to 
the tune of " The World 's Upside Down " — it was true ; the 
British world in America was "upside down," and the fall of 
Yorktown practically ended the war of the Revolution. Wash- 
ington had conquered. It was "the victory of a great and 
good man in a great and good cause." 

When the news reached London and was announced to Lord 
North, then the prime minister 1 of the British government, he 
threw up his arms as though a cannon-ball had struck him, 
cried out wildly, " It is all over ! " and then resigned his office. 

190. Summary of the Revolution. — The king of England 
insisted on taxing the American colonies without their con- 
sent. The Americans refused to pay, and took up arms in 
defence of their rights as loyal English subjects. The king 
and his party endeavored to put down the rebellion ; and on 
July 4, 1776, the colonists declared themselves independent of 
Great Britain. 

The war for independence then began. At Saratoga, in 
1777, the Americans gained a great victory over Burgoyne. 
In consequence of that victory the king of France acknowl- 
edged the independence of the United States, and sent money, 
ships, and men to right in our behalf. 

In 1 781, Washington, with the help of the French ships of 
war, defeated Cornwallis at Yorktown, and took him prisoner 
with all his army. That decisive victory practically ended the 
Revolution, and not long after, the British gave up the contest. 

191. George III.'s Speech on the United States ; England makes a 
Treaty of Peace with us ; the King's Meeting with John Adams. — 

At the opening of Parliament 2 (1782), the king, in a voice 
choked with emotion, announced that he was ready to acknowl- 
edge the independence of the United States. He closed his 

1 Prime minister : the king's chief adviser. 2 See note i. page 154. 




j)2 Longitude 87 West 82 from 77 Greenwich 



1781-1783.] GEORGE III.'s SPEECH. 1 89 

speech by saying that it was his earnest prayer that < religion, 
language, interest, and affection might prove a bond of perma- 
nent union between the two countries.' 

A final treaty of peace between Great Britain and this 
country was signed at Paris in 1783. 1 It secured to us the 
thirteen states, with Maine, and the territory west of them to 
the Mississippi. 2 Our first minister 3 to England was John 
Adams of Massachusetts. The king said to him, " Sir, I will 
be very free with you. I was the last to consent to the sepa- 
ration, but the separation having been made ... I have always 
said, as I say now, that I would be the first to meet the 
friendship 4 of the United States as an independent power." 5 

192. The American States Independent but not really United; 
Congress destitute of Power. — But though America had won her 
independence, she had not secured harmony and union. While 
the war lasted the states fought like brothers, side by side ; 
now that the danger was over, they threatened to fall apart. 
We were like a barrel made of thirteen stout staves, but yet 
without a single hoop to hold us together. Under the Articles 
of Confederation or Constitution adopted in 1781, the nation 
had no President — no head. It had only a Congress, and that 
Congress was destitute of power. It might pass good and 
useful laws, but it could not compel the people to obey them. 
It might beg the people to give money, but it could not make 
them furnish it. It might ask for soldiers to defend the country, 
but it could not draft 6 them. 

193. Distressed Condition of the Country; Jealousy of the States; 
Lack of Freedom of Trade. — The truth is, that the people had 

1 The Revolution, from its first outbreak at Lexington (April 19, 1775) to the 
virtual disbanding of the army (April 19, 1783), lasted just eight years to a day. 

2 In all, the treaty secured to us something over 800,000 square miles of territory. 

3 Minister : here the word means a person sent on public business by one govern- 
ment to another. * Later, however, the king treated Mr. Adams very coldly. 

5 " Power " is here used for nation or people. 

6 Draft : to compel men, chosen by lot, to do military service. 



190 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1783-1786. 

come out of the war in a distressed condition. They were 
heavily in debt. Business was at a standstill. Gold and silver 
coin was scarce. The states had an abundance of paper stuff 
which pretended to be money, but nobody knew what it was 
worth, and what passed for a dollar in one state might not 
pass at all in another. Distress and discontent grew worse 
and worse. The states quarrelled with each other about 
boundary lines, about commerce, about trade. Instead of 
being a united and friendly people, they were fast getting to 
be thirteen hostile nations ready to draw the sword against 
each other. 

This feeling was shown in the fact that a man could not buy 
and sell freely outside of his own state. If, for instance, a 
farmer in New Jersey took a load of potatoes to New York, he 
might have to pay a tax of five or ten cents a bushel to that 
state before he could offer them for sale. On the other hand, 
if a New York merchant sent a case of boots to New Jersey to 
sell to the farmers, that state might, if it chose, tax him ten cents 
a pair before he could get a permit to dispose of his goods. 

194. " Shays' Rebellion." — The people of Massachusetts 
were perhaps more heavily loaded with debt than those of 
any other state. It is said that they owed on the average two 
hundred dollars apiece. They were willing to pay, but could 
get nothing to pay with. When great numbers of poor people 
were sued and thrown into prison, multitudes became desper- 
ate. In the western part of the state Daniel Shays raised an 
army of nearly two thousand excited farmers. (1786.) They 
surrounded the court-houses at Worcester and Springfield, and 
put a stop to all lawsuits for debt. It was not until a strong 
military force was sent out against them that the " rebellion " 
was finally quelled, and Shays compelled to fly to New Hamp- 
shire. 

195. The Northwest Territory. — The most powerful influ- 
ence which kept the nation from dropping to pieces was the 



1786-1787.] THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. I9I 

fact that the states had an interest in the Northwest Territory. 
Up to the middle of the Revolution, seven of the thirteen 
states claimed the country west of them as far as the Missis- 
sippi River. 1 

Four of these states, — New York, Virginia, 2 Massachusetts, 
and Connecticut, — claiming land northwest of the Ohio River 
to the Mississippi, agreed (1780-1786) to give it to the United 
States to be disposed of for the common good. In 1787 Con- 
gress made an ordinance or body of laws for the government 
of this Northwest Territory. That ordinance (1) forbade the 
holding of slaves in the territory (though it made provision 
for returning fugitive slaves who should escape to that region) ; 
(2) it granted entire religious freedom to every settler ; (3) it 
encouraged " schools and the means of education." The states 
believed that Congress could sell lands in that vast region, — 
now forming the great and prosperous states of Ohio, Indiana, 
Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Eastern Minnesota, — and 
thus get money to pay off the war debt of the Revolution. 3 
That belief helped to hold the country together. 

196. The New Constitution. — Still, even with this hope to 
brighten the sky, the outlook was dark enough. Washington, 
Franklin, Madison, Hamilton — in a word, the ablest men of 
that day — thought the prospect anything but encouraging. 
It seemed to them that unless something was done promptly 
the new-born republic was likely to die in its cradle. 

1 The seven states were Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Virginia, North 
Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia (the claim of New York rested on treaties 
with the Iroquois Indians). South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia ceded 
their western lands (1 787-1802) to the United States. The last two mentioned 
states stipulated that the territory they gave should be kept open to slavery. The 
remaining six states, of the thirteen, had fixed western boundaries, so they could not 
claim any part of the territory, but they would have an interest in the land sales — if 
the nation held together as one whole. See Map, page 188. 

2 Virginia giving by far the greatest part. 

3 It was provided that new states, of equal standing with the original thirteen, 
should be formed in this northwestern territory as soon as there was sufficient popu- 
lation in that region. 



192 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1787, 



At last (1787) a convention of fifty-five members was held 
in Philadelphia to make a new Constitution 1 — one that should 
"form a more perfect union." 2 Washington presided at this 
convention, and a majority of the state legislatures sent their 
chief men to take part in it. The convention held a secret 
session of nearly four months, and had many stormy debates 
before the articles of the new Constitution could be agreed 
upon. At one time Franklin and other eminent men nearly 
despaired of any successful result. But by judicious compro- 
mises 3 the great work was finally completed, and the Consti- 

1 That is, a new set of laws for the government of the whole nation adopted in 
place of the Articles of Confederation. See p. 189, and Appendix, p. vi ; and see p. 100. 

2 See the opening words of the Constitution, page vi (following this history). 

3 The first important question of debate was between the delegates from the 
small states and those from the large ones in regard to representation in Congress. 
If the representation rested wholly on population then the large states would, of 
course, have entire control. 

By a compromise or mutual concession it was finally agreed that Congress should 
consist of two houses : 1. The House of Representatives chosen by the people of the 
different states and representing them. 2. The Senate, or Upper House, consisting 
of two members from each state. (See the Constitution, page vii, Section 3. Para- 
graph 1.) In the Senate, therefore, the small states stand equal to the large ones. 
This arrangement satisfied all. 

The second great question was whether slaves should be counted in reckoning the 
number of the population with reference to representation in Congress. The North 
insisted that they should not ; the South (where slaves were very numerous) that they 
should. The contest on this point was long and bitter. Finally it was agreed that 
three-fifths of the slaves should be counted with reference to both representation and 
taxation (though the slaves themselves were of course neither represented nor taxed). 
(See the Constitution, page vii, Section 2, Paragraph 3.) " Three-fifths of all other 
persojis." These " other persons " were slaves. 

The last question was in regard to commerce and to protection of slaveholders. 
It was agreed that Congress should have the entire control of commerce (the states 
had had it before). (See the Constitution, page ix, Section 8, Paragraph 3.) It was 
agreed that the importation of slaves might be prohibited after 1808. (See the Con- 
stitution, page x, Section 9, Paragraph 1 ; these slaves are called " such persons." The 
word slave does not occur in the Constitution.) It was also agreed that runaway 
slaves should be returned to their owners. (See the Constitution, page xiv. Article 
IV., Section 2, Paragraph 3, " No person [i.e. slave] held to service," etc.) 

If the compromise between the small states and the large, and the North and 
South, had not been made, the Constitution would have been rejected, and we should 
in all probability have split up into two or three hostile republics. 



1787-1788.] 



THE CONSTITUTION. 



193 



tution was adopted. After the convention had accepted the 
new Constitution, it was sent to the different states to be 
voted upon by the people. 1 Many of the people were strongly 
opposed to it. They thought it gave the national govern- 
ment too much power. But in time all of the states decided 
to adopt it. The man who did the most to convince them of 
the wisdom of such a course was Alexander Hamilton of New 
York. When the city of New York celebrated the adoption of 
the Constitution (1788) a ship on wheels representing the 




The " Ship of State." 



"Ship of State," or the Union, 2 was drawn through the streets 
by ten milk-white horses. Hamilton's name was painted in 
large letters on the platform upholding the vessel. 

197. What the Constitution did for the Country. — The Con- 
stitution went into effect in 1789. It accomplished these four 
chief objects: 1. It gave the nation a head — the President 
of the United States — whose duty it is to see that the laws 

1 Delegates voted in state conventions called by the legislatures. 

2 See Longfellow's "Building of the Ship," last part, lines beginning — 

"Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State ! 
Sail on, O Union, strong and great ! " 



194 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1789. 

are executed. 1 2. It gave Congress power to raise money by 
taxation to carry on and defend the government. 2 3. It gave 
every citizen of the United States equal rights in all the states, 
with liberty to buy and sell in all parts of the country. Thus 
entire freedom of trade was secured throughout the Union. 3 
4. It established the Supreme Court of the United States, to 
decide all questions and disputes about the powers of the 
national government. 4 

A few years later ten very important amendments were added 
to the Constitution. 5 They were called a "Bill of Rights." 
They secured still further protection to the rights and liberties 
of the people. For this reason many who had strongly opposed 
the original Constitution now gave it their hearty support. 

198. Summary. — The Revolution made us an independent 
people ; the Constitution completed the work by making us a 
united people — a true American nation. Now, to use the 
words of John Adams, 'the thirteen clocks all struck together.' 

1 Constitution, p. xi (II., i). 2 Constitution, p. ix (8, Pars, i, 12). 

3 Constitution, p. x (9, Pars. 5, 6). 4 Constitution, p. xiii (III., 1, 2). 

5 Amendments to the Constitution, p. xvi ; two more amendments were adopted 
between 1798 and 1804. 




Map showing the Westward Movement of Population in the United States from I 790 to 
1890, inclusive. (See Note 2 on page 198.) 



V. 



" This government, the offspring of your own choice, . . . adopted upon 
full investigation and mature deliberation, completely free in its principles, 
. . . and containing, within itself, a provision for its own amendment, has a 
just claim to your confidence and respect." — President Washington's 
Farewell Address to the People of the United States, September 17, 1796. 



THE UNION. —NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. 

(1789-1861.) 
George Washington. 

199. Political Parties; Washington elected President (Two 
Terms, 1789-1797) ; his Inauguration; and Administration. 1 — 

There were now two political parties in the United States: 
the Federalists 2 who had voted for the adoption of the Con- 
stitution ; and the Anti-Federalists 3 who had voted against 
it. The first party believed that the country needed a 
strong government, — one able ' to make its power re- 
spected both at home and abroad ; the second party thought 
such a strong government dangerous to the liberties of the 
people, and wished the chief power to be exercised by the 
different states. In the course of time this last class came to 
be known as the Democratic party ; 4 while the Federalists 

1 Administration : presidency. 

2 Federalists (from fcedzcs, a Latin word, meaning a league or union), those who 
supported the union of states formed by the Constitution. 

3 Anti-Federalists (from the Latin words anti, against, and fcedus, league or 
union), those opposed to the Constitution until it was amended; see page 194. 

4 The Democratic party was at first called Republican, or Democratic-Republi- 
can. Eventually the name got shortened to its present form. Care should be taken 
not to confound the early Republican (or Democratic) party with the modern Re- 
publican party which did not come into existence until 1856. 

195 



I96 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1789. 



were succeeded by the Whigs, 1 and later by the Republicans. 
Both parties united in electing Washington to be the first 
President of the United States (1 789-1 793) ; and when, at the 
end of four years, his time of office expired, they again united 
to re-elect him (1 793-1 797). In both cases John Adams was 
chosen Vice-President. New York City was then the capital 
of the country, 2 and Washington was to be inaugurated 3 there 
on March 4 (1789), the day the new Constitution went into 
- operation ; but the ceremony was delayed until April 30. The 
President took the oath of office, 4 standing on the balcony of 
a building in front of Federal Hall, 5 the hall where Congress 
met, in the presence of an immense multitude. There, amidst 
ringing of bells and firing of cannon, a great shout went up : 
" Long live George Washington, President of the United 
States!" 

200. Washington's Cabinet; how the Government raised Money. 

— Washington chose four eminent men, as members of his 
Cabinet or private Council, to aid him in the discharge of 
his presidential duties. They were Thomas Jefferson, the 
author of the Declaration of Independence ; 6 Alexander 

1 After the Federal party expired (between 1815 and 1825), it was succeeded by 
one called the National Republican ; this was followed in 1835 by the Whig party, 
and this in 1856 by the present Republican party. 

2 By Act of Congress the national capital was established at Philadelphia from 
1790 to 1800. In 1800 it was permanently located at the city of Washington, on 
land given for that purpose by the states of Virginia and Maryland. 

3 Inaugurated : introduced into office (made President) with solemn and appro- 
priate ceremonies. 

4 The following is the oath taken by the President : u I do solemnly swear {or 
affirm) that I -will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States ; 
and, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the 
United States." 

5 Federal Hall (the old City Hall) : it stood on the northeast corner of Wall 
and Nassau streets, on ground now occupied by the United States Sub-Treasury 
Building. 

6 Thomas Jefferson was appointed Secretary of State ; his duties were to attend 
to the foreign business and relations of the government. 



1789-1790.] 



PAYING OUR JUST DEBTS. 



197 



Hamilton ; 1 General Henry Knox ; 2 Edmund Randolph. 3 To 
John Jay 4 he gave the very important office of Chief Justice 
of the Supreme Court of the United States. These men did 
not all agree with Washington in political matters ; but they 
all reverenced him, and they were ready, like him, to do their 
utmost to promote the welfare and prosperity of the country. 

The new government had no money ; but a government can 
no more hope to live and pay its bills without money than you 
or I can. In order to obtain funds, Congress (1789) imposed 
a duty or tax on all foreign ships and on many foreign goods 
entering our ports. Thus, if a French vessel of six hundred 
tons loaded with wine came into New York, the owners would 
have to pay a duty of fifty cents a ton — or three hundred 
dollars on the vessel, and eighteen cents a gallon on the wine. 
Other articles, such as tea, silk, and sugar, were charged 
different rates. 

201. Paying our Just Debts. — By this duty, or revenue-tariff, 
as it was called, a very large amount of money was obtained. 
Hamilton, who was Secretary of the Treasury, got permission 
from Congress (1790) to use all of this money, not needed for 
the expenses of the government, to do three things : 1. To pay 
back to France and to other countries what we had borrowed 
of them during the Revolution. 2. To pay the debts we owed 
at home to our soldiers, and to those who had lent money to 
the government during the war. 3. To pay the debts which 
the different states were owing to their own citizens. 5 Hamil- 

1 Alexander Hamilton of New York (see Paragraph 196) was appointed Secre- 
tary of the Treasury. 

2 General Knox of Massachusetts, one of the leaders in the Revolution (see Para- 
graph 165), was appointed Secretary of War. 

3 Edmund Randolph of Virginia was appointed Attorney-General ; his duty was 
to give the government advice in law matters. 

4 John Jay of New York, one of the commissioners who. with Franklin, had secured 
and signed the treaty of peace with Great Britain (1 783) . He was Secretary of Foreign 
Affairs (or Secretary of State) from 1 784 until 1 790, when Jefferson took his place. 
He then became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. 

5 That is, debts incurred in carrying on the war. 



I98 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1790-1793. 

ton's wise and honest dealing put the credit of the United 
States on a sure foundation ; it enabled us to pay debts 
amounting to nearly six millions of dollars, and to provide 
for the payment of many millions more. From that day to 
this, we have always been able to borrow all the money we 
wanted. 

202. The First Census ; Establishment of a United States Bank 
and a Mint. — Me'anwhile (1790), the first census was taken. 
It showed that we had a population of nearly four millions. 1 
It also showed that nearly the whole body of people lived 
along the Atlantic sea-coast, on a strip of country about 
two hundred and fifty miles wide. Since then the population 
has doubled, on the average, every twenty-five years, and has 
moved steadily westward. 2 

Within two years after taking the census Congress estab- 
lished a United States bank (179 1) and a mint at Philadelphia 
(1792). Both supplied the country with a kind of money, 
which, unlike that in circulation before, could be used through- 
out the states. This was an immense help to all business men. 

With the opening of the mint we began our decimal system 
of coinage, — ten cents make a dime, ten dimes a dollar, — a 
system so clear, simple, and convenient, that the time is 
probably not very far distant when England, and every lead- 
ing country of Europe which has not already adopted it, will 
do so. 

203. Arrival of "Citizen" Genet; Washington's Proclamation 
of Neutrality. — During Washington's second presidency France 
was engaged in a terrible revolution. The people had declared 
themselves a republic, and beheaded their king. This led to 
a war between France and England. The French sent a 

1 In 1776 we had, it was supposed, about 2,750,000. 

2 In 1790 the centre of population (that is, the geographical point where the 
population is equal in number in all directions) was about twenty-five miles east 
of Baltimore. It has since moved westward, on nearly the same parallel, at the 
rate of about fifty miles every ten years. See Map, page 194. 



1788-1793.] 



EMIGRATION TO THE WEST. 



I 99 



minister 1 to this country (1793) to get help toward fighting 
the English. He was styled "Citizen" Genet, 2 — for, having 
abolished all titles of honor and respect, the French could not 
endure even so simple a title as Mr. He came here expect- 
ing to obtain ships, money, and aid from the government. 
Thousands of our people welcomed him with wild enthusiasm. 
Washington, however, knew that if " Citizen " Genet was 
allowed to have his way, we should soon be dragged into a 
war with England, at a time when such a war would have been 
terribly disastrous to us. The President therefore issued a proc- 
lamation of neutrality, stating that we should take no part in 
European quarrels. This proclamation so maddened the excit- 
able Genet that he endeavored to stir up a mob in Philadel- 
phia, to pull Washington, from his seat of office, overturn the 
government of the United States, and set up one more in 
accordance with his French tastes. The result was that, at 
Washington's protest, France recalled her minister, and noth- 
ing more was heard of him. 

204. Emigration to the West ; Cincinnati. — Meanwhile, a great 
movement of population had begun toward the country west 
of the Alleghanies — that section in which Washington had so 
deep an interest. 3 Sevier, Robertson, and other pioneers had 
built cabins in the Tennessee country ; and Daniel Boone, the 
famous hunter of North Carolina, with his bold companions, 
had chopped a narrow path across the wilderness to Kentucky; 
and by the beginning of the Revolution the Americans had got 
a firm foothold in that fertile region. Emigrants crossed the 
mountains, and formed settlements on the rich lands of the 
Ohio valley. Marietta, on that river, was already established 
(1788). A cluster of log huts, which had been built further 
down the river in the same year, now (1790) received the 
name of Cincinnati. 4 There, not long after (1793), the first 

1 Minister: see note 3, on page 189. 2 Genet (Zhen-ay'). 3 See Paragraph 139. 
4 Cincinnati : named in honor of the Society of the Cincinnati, organized by the 
officers of the Revolutionary army headed by Washington. 



200 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1793. 



Western newspaper was published, 1 and the corner-stone laid 
of the state of Ohio, the first of all that magnificent group of 
states formed from the Northwest Territory 2 which were one 
by one (1803-1848) to knock at the doors of Congress and 
gain admission to the Union. 

But these settlements were made at heavy cost of life. The 
Indians rose, resolved to kill or drive out the invaders. After 
four years of fighting the savages were defeated in a final battle. 
General Wayne 3 — "the chief that never slept " — forced them 
to sign a treaty of peace (1794) by which they gave up the 
greater part of the Ohio country to the whites. 

205. Whitney invents the Cotton-Gin ; Results. — The year 
(1793) that the printing-press in that enterprising log city of 
the West began sending out its weekly budget of news, a great 



the South ; but it was of little use, for no practical method 
had then been contrived of freeing the cotton fibre, or wool, 
from the multitude of seeds it contains. By working a whole 
day, a negro could clean only about a pound. This made cot- 




The Cotton-Gin. 



event occurred at the South. 
Eli Whitney, of Massachu- 
setts, but then living in 
Georgia, invented the 
cotton-gin. 4 Whitney's in- 
vention has had more in- 
fluence on the industry, 
wealth, and political his- 
tory of this country than 
any other labor-saving 
machine ever constructed 
in America. Up to that 
time, small quantities of 
cotton had been raised at 



1 The Centi?iel of the Northwest — Cincinnati, 1793. 

2 See Paragraph 195. 3 See Paragraph 183. 

4 Gin : a contraction of the word engine, meaning a machine. 



1793.] 



THE COTTON-GIN. 



201 



ton so expensive that none but the rich could buy it. Now, 
everything was changed. By the use of Whitney's machine 
one man could clean a thousand pounds in a single day. 

The result was soon seen. In 1784 we "had exported eight 
bags, or about three thousand pounds, of cotton to Liverpool. 
The cotton was seized by the English custom-house officers, on 
the ground that the United States could not have produced 
such a "prodigious quantity," and that the captain of the 
vessel must have smuggled it from some other country. Ten 
years after Whitney had put his machine into operation (1803) 
we were exporting over one hundred thousand bags of cotton, 
or more than forty millions of pounds, and every year saw an 
enormous increase. The effect at home was equally marked. 
A great number of mills for the manufacture of cotton cloth 
were built in New England. At the South the raising of cot- 
ton became immensely profitable, and planters gave more and 
more land to it. 

Up to this period, many men in both sections of the country 
had deplored the holding of slaves. They had earnestly dis- 
cussed how to rid the country of what was felt to be both an 
evil in itself and a danger to the nation. The invention of 
the cotton-gin put a stop to this discussion in great measure; 
for now the Southern planters and the Northern manufac- 
turers of cotton both found it for their interest to keep the 
negro in bondage, since by his labor they were rapidly grow- 
ing rich. Few, even of the ablest minds of that time, realized 
what we all see to-day : that in the end free labor is cheaper, 
safer, and better than any other. 1 To sum up: Whitney's great 

1 Whitney received fifty thousand dollars for his invention from South Carolina, 
besides something from several other Southern States. Other notable American in- 
ventors of this period were: i. Oliver Evans of Newport, Delaware, who, about 1780, 
invented the grain-elevator, and made such improvements in milling that he " effected 
a revolution in the manufacture of flour." In 1803 he constructed the first steam 
dredge for deepening the channels of rivers. 2. Jacob Perkins of Newburyport, 
Massachusetts, invented (1790) the first practical nail-machine — it was capable of 
cutting out two hundred thousand nails a day. Formerly all nails were made by 
hand. Later, he invented a greatly improved machine for calico-printing. 3. Asa 



202 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1794-1795. 

invention of 1793 did four things: 1. It stimulated the produc- 
tion of cotton and made it one of the leading industries of the 
country. 2. It increased our exports enormously. 3. It caused 
the building of great numbers of cotton-mills at the North. 4. 
It made a large class, both North and South, interested in 
maintaining slave-labor. 

206. The Whiskey Rebellion. — During Washington's second 
term of office, the government, finding that it needed more 
money, imposed (1794) a heavy duty or tax on the manufac- 
ture of whiskey. The rough Pennsylvania backwoodsmen were 
in the habit of distilling large quantities of that liquor, which 
was then freely used by all classes and conditions of men. 
The whiskey producers refused to pay the duty, tarred and 
feathered one officer sent to collect it, and gave a second a 
tremendous flogging with beech rods. Then they proceeded 
to arm themselves in order to resist the law. Washington sent 
an army of fifteen thousand men, mostly Pennsylvanians, to 
teach them how to behave. When the whiskey distillers and 
their friends caught sight of the muskets, they prudently dis- 
persed. They saw that if any shooting was to be done the 
President could do a good deal more than they could. There 
was no more trouble. 

207. Jay's Treaty with England. — The treaty of peace with 
Great Britain, made in 1783, had not been satisfactorily car- 
ried out by either party. We had promised to pay certain 
debts due to British subjects, and they complained that we 
did not keep our word. On the other hand, England persisted 
in holding forts at Detroit and elsewhere along our northern 
frontier, though she had agreed to give them up to us. The 
English also interfered with our trade with France. 1 Chief- 

Whittemore of Cambridge, Massachusetts, invented (1797) a machine for making 
wire cards for carding wool, ' which operated, and still continues to operate, as if it 
had a soul.' On later American inventions see notes on pages 262, 351, 375. 

1 This was while France and England were at war. The English seized Ameri- 
can vessels loaded with grain for French ports and took them into English ports. 



1795-1797.] 



SUMMARY. 



203 



Justice Jay 1 went to England and obtained a new treaty 
(1795). It did not satisfy the people, who thought that the 
English were getting the best of the bargain; but the forts 
were given up to us. Washington signed the treaty for the 
reason that he, like Jay, considered that we were not then able 
to demand anything better. Certain newspapers attacked him 
and Jay in the most violent manner, and Washington, worn 
out with their abuse, declared that "he would rather be in his 
grave than in the presidency." But the majority of the people 
stood firmly by the man who had brought them through so 
many dangers, and the treaty 2 was duly confirmed by Con- 
gress. When Washington retired from office — refusing to be 
a candidate for a third term — he left the nation in every way 
stronger and more prosperous than he had found it; and with 
the three new states of Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee 
(1 791-1796) added to the Union. 

208. Summary. — Washington, the first President of the 
United States, held office for two terms (1 789-1 797). During 
that time he, with his Cabinet, 3 got the new government into 
practical operation, and through the wise counsel of Hamil- 
ton, our national credit was solidly established. Washington's 
efforts prevented the nation from getting entangled in Euro- 
pean wars at a time when our greatest need was peace. 
Three new states had been added ; Marietta and Cincinnati 
had taken firm root, and the vigorous life of the West had 
begun. Whitney's invention of the cotton-gin had an im- 
mense effect on manufacturing and commerce, greatly increas- 
ing the wealth of both North and South, but unfortunately it 
also fastened slave labor on the country. 

They paid for the cargo, or else permitted the Americans to sell them to countries at 
peace with Great Britain. Our complaint was that England had no right to interfere 
in any way with our commerce. 

1 See Paragraph 200. 

2 See Fisher Ames's speech in favor of the Jay or 11 British " Treaty. 

3 Cabinet : see Paragraph 200. 



204 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1797. 



John Adams. 

209. Adams's Administration 1 (Second President, One Term, 1797- 
1801); the"X. Y.Z. Papers." — Mr. Adams's 2 presidency began 
with strong prospects of war with France. The French were 
enraged because we did not take sides with them in their 
contest with Great Britain. 3 They captured our merchant 
vessels, sold them openly in French ports, and insulted the 
statesman sent by us to France to represent the United States. 
Finally, certain private agents of the French authorities made 
demands threatening war unless we bribed them with money 
— " much money " — to keep peace. Pinckney, one of our 
representatives in France, indignant at such treatment, replied, 
" Millions for defence ; not one cent for tribute." 4 President 
Adams, substituting the letters X. Y. Z. for the names of the 
French agents, sent a full report of the demands to Congress. 
The X. Y. Z. papers roused the whole country, and Pinckney's 
defiant words were echoed throughout America — for sooner 
than spend a single copper in buying peace we were ready to 
fight at any cost. War soon broke out, and our sailors, with 
shouts of "Hail Columbia," — the new song which every 
American was then singing, — fought and captured several 
French vessels. When Napoleon Bonaparte came into power 
in France (1799), ne speedily made peace. 

1 Administration : presidency. 

' 2 John Adams was born in Braintree. near Boston, in 1735 ; died 1826. Thomas 
Jefferson said of him that " he was the ablest advocate arid champion of independ- 
ence" in the Congress of 1776. He was one of the commissioners who negotiated 
the treaty of peace with Great Britain at the close of the Revolution ; and he was 
shortly after sent as minister from the United States to England. He was elected 
by the Federalists (see Paragraph 199) by only three electoral votes over Thomas 
Jefferson, the Republican (or Democratic) candidate (Adams had 71 votes, Jeffer- 
son 68). Mr. Adams used to call himself " the President of three votes." Ac- 
cording to the law (since changed), the candidate for President getting the largest 
vote next to the one elected was made Vice-President. This law gave that office 
to Jefferson. 3 See Paragraph 203. 

4 Tribute : money paid by one nation to another as a token of submission, or for 
the purpose of procuring protection or favor. 



1798-1801.] THE ALIEN AND THE SEDITION LAWS. 205 

210. The Alien and the Sedition Laws ; Death of Washington. — 

Several of the American newspapers were edited by foreigners, 
or by men who sympathized with France and were anxious to 
force us into a war with England. To put a stop to their 
constant abuse of the government, Congress, with the ap- 
proval of Mr. Adams, passed (1798) the Alien and the Sedi- 
tion Laws. The Alien Law gave the President the power to 
banish any alien or foreigner from the country whose influ- 
ence he thought dangerous to our welfare. The President 
never enforced the law. The Sedition Law undertook to 
punish persons who should speak, write, or publish anything 
false or malicious against the President or the government of 
the United States. Under this last-named law several persons 
were heavily fined, and at least one was imprisoned. 

The legislatures of Kentucky and Virginia denounced 
both the Alien and Sedition Laws as dangerous, and contrary 
to the Constitution. They furthermore declared that should 
the President persist in enforcing them, the states would 
have the right to refuse to obey his commands. Both laws 
soon passed out of existence ; but the idea that states might 
resist the national government, if they saw fit, was destined 
to make trouble many years later, and in the end was to result 
in civil war. 

During the excitement caused by these unpopular laws, 
Washington died at his home at Mt. Vernon (1799). The 
whole country united to do honor to the memory of him who 
was " first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his 
fellow-citizens " ; Bonaparte ordered public mourning for him 
in France, and Lord Bridport, commander of a British fleet 
of nearly sixty men-of-war, lying off the coast of England, 
testified his respect by ordering his flags to be lowered to 
half-mast. 

an. Summary. — The four chief events of Adams's presi- 
dency were the excitement caused by the "X. Y. Z." papers, 



206 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1801. 



followed by war on the sea with France ; the passage of the 
Alien and the Sedition Laws denounced by Kentucky and 
Virginia, and the death of Washington. 

Thomas Jefferson. 

212. Jefferson's Administration 1 (Third President, Two Terms, 
1801-1809) ; " Republican Simplicity " ; the New National Capital. 

— The new President was a Democrat 2 — a man who took 
his stand with the people. In dress, 3 manners, and ideas he 
was quite different from the Federalist Presidents, Washing- 
ton and Adams. They both thought it proper for the head 
of the nation to stand a little apart from the people ; and 
though both were opposed to monarchy, yet they kept up 
something of the dignity and ceremony of a king. Jefferson 
preferred, on the contrary, " republican simplicity " in all 

1 Administration : see note 1, page 195. 

2 Thomas Jefferson was born 1743, at Shadwell, Virginia; died 1826. He was 
a member of the Continental Congress and drafted the Declaration of Independ- 
ence, and drew up the Act of Religious Freedom adopted by Virginia through 
Madison's influence (see page 215, note 1) in 17S5. He proposed our present 
decimal system of coinage and secured its acceptance. In 1785 he was sent to 
France to succeed Franklin as minister of the United States. On his tombstone 
is the following epitaph written by himself : " Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, 
author of the Declaration of Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious 
Freedom, and the Father of the University of Virginia." The presidential election of 
November, 1800, was a time of great excitement, and of bitter strife between the 
Federalists- and the Republicans (or Democrats. See Paragraph 199). Thomas 
Jefferson of Virginia and Aaron Burr of New Jersey were the Republican candi- 
dates. Each received 73 electoral votes ; while John Adams, the Federalist can- 
didate, got but 65. In such a case the House of Representatives — a majority of 
whom were Federalists — had to decide the election ; they finally voted in favor of 
Jefferson ; and he was declared President, with Burr for Vice-President (for accord- 
ing to the law then the candidate for President who received the greatest number 
of votes next to those of the successful candidate, became Vice-President). This 
period marks the downfall of the Federalists ; for the next forty years the Demo- 
crats held control. 

3 It was about this time that a marked change took place in men's dress, and 
breeches and long stockings began to give way to trousers — a product of the 
French Revolution. The British minister, Mr. Merry, says Jefferson wore " panta- 
loons and slippers " when he received him. 



1801.] 



THE PIRATES OF TRIPOLI. 



207 



things, and was ready to receive and shake hands with any 
one and every one that wanted to shake hands with him. 

Jefferson took the oath of office 1 in the new capitol, which 
was ridiculed as a "palace in the woods." It stood on a hill 
in the " city of Washington," then nothing but a straggling 
village of a few hundred inhabitants. Washington, for whom 
it was named, had himself chosen the ground for the city ten 
years before. Many people preferred Philadelphia, thinking 
that the new national capital was too far west. 

213. What was thought of the Probable Extent of the Republic. 

— Eminent men of that day thought it very doubtful whether 
the American republic could extend into the wilderness be- 
yond the Alleghany Mountains. Many agreed with them, 
and believed that in time the country would be divided into 
several nations — for it seemed impossible to them that a 
territory reaching from the Atlantic to the Mississippi could 
be efficiently and safely governed by a single President. 
When we consider that there were then no steamboats, 
canals, or railroads, to bind the states together, and in fact 
very few good ordinary roads, it does not seem so strange 
that men of sound judgment should have thought so. 

214. The Pirates of Tripoli ; they declare War against the United 
States ; the Result. — For many years Tripoli and other towns 
on the north coast of Africa had been nests of pirates. The 
people were Mohammedans, and they were in the habit of 
sending out fast-sailing armed vessels to capture the ships of 
Christians coming to the Mediterranean to trade. 

European nations had made repeated efforts to break up 
this system of robbery, but had not succeeded. Even Great 
Britain was obliged to pay the governors of Algiers and Tripoli 
large sums of money every year in order to protect her com- 
merce in that quarter of the globe. During Washington's and 

1 See page 196, note 4. 



208 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1801. 



Adams's presidencies the United States, having no ships of 
war worth mentioning, had to buy the good will of these 
pirates. At one time we paid the ruler of Tripoli twenty 
thousand dollars a year to let our merchant vessels sail the 
Mediterranean in peace. But even this did not satisfy him, 
and we had to give him costly presents, and purchase the lib- 
eration of many of our sailors whom the people of Tripoli had 
seized, held as slaves, and worked like beasts of burden under 
the lash. We had spent a million to rescue these unfortunate 
men. Part of the money was given by the government and 
part of it was collected in the churches on Sunday. 

The governor of Tripoli, disappointed because we did not 
yield to his demands and give him a still larger tribute, de- 
clared war (1801) against the United States. Jefferson was 
a man of peace, but he believed with Benjamin Franklin that, 
"if you make yourself a sheep, the wolves will eat you." He 
thought we had been sheep long enough. We now had a small 
fleet of war-ships commanded by such men as Bainbridge, 
Decatur, and Preble. The President sent them out to Tripoli, 
and they soon made the ruler of that place confess his sins 
and beg for mercy. 

The Pope declared that the Americans had done more 
toward punishing the insolent power of the Mohammedan 
pirates than all the nations of Europe put together. The 
result of the war was that the people of Tripoli were glad to 
make a new treaty (1805) with the United States. By it 
they agreed to let our merchant ships and sailors alone in 
future, without asking pay for their good behavior to us. 

215. Purchase of the Territory of Louisiana. — While this war 
with Tripoli was going on, the greatest event of Jefferson's 
presidency occurred. France owned the province of Louisi- 
ana, 1 including New Orleans. Napoleon Bonaparte, who was 

1 Just before the close of the great war between England and France in 1763, 
France ceded Louisiana with New Orleans to her ally, Spain. In 1800 Napoleon 
Bonaparte induced or forced Spain to cede them back to France. 



1803-1804.] 



PURCHASE OF LOUISIANA. 



209 



then about to engage in a tremendous contest with England, 
was afraid that when war broke out the English would send 
over a fleet and take Louisiana out of his hands. For that 
reason he was willing to sell it to the United States — espe- 
cially as the money would help him to fit out his armies against 
Great Britain. In 1803, the year that Ohio entered the Union, 
President Jefferson bought the whole territory of Louisiana for 
fifteen millions of dollars. By so doing he got the very heart 
of the American continent, reaching from the Mississippi back 
to the Rocky Mountains. He thus, at one stroke, more than 
doubled the area of the United States, getting upwards of a 
million of square miles, or over six hundred millions of acres, 
for two cents and a half an acre. 

There were people who grumbled at the purchase, — some 
denying that he had the right to make it, — but the majority 
heartily supported the President. He himself confessed that 
he had stretched his power "till it cracked," in order to com- 
plete the bargain. In reality Jefferson showed his states- 
manship in the act. The possession of Louisiana secured to 
us four most important points: 1. It prevented any disputes 
with France about the territory. 2. It prevented England 
from getting control of it. 3. It gave us the Great West 
— that is, the West beyond the Mississippi to the Rocky 
Mountains. 4. It made us masters of the entire Mississippi 
River, with the city of New Orleans to boot. 

216. Lewis and Clarke's Exploration of the Far West. — The 

next year (1804) the President sent out an expedition under 
Lewis and Clarke 1 to explore the new territory. They started 
from St. Louis (May 14, 1804), then nothing but a little vil- 
lage of log-cabins, and worked their way up the Missouri in 
boats, until they reached (July 19, 1805) what they called the 

1 Lieutenant William Clarke, brother of the brave soldier (see Paragraph 182) 
who conquered the Illinois and Indiana territory for the United States during the 
Revolution. ** 



2IO LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1805-1811. 



"Gates of the Rocky Mountains," 1 a tremendous cleft in the 
rocks where the river bursts through. This point is over 
twelve hundred miles from St. Louis, 2 and it had taken the 
explorers more than a year to get to it. Then, making their 
way across the mountains, they found the head waters of a 
stream flowing westward. Launching their canoes (October 
7, 1805) on its rapid current, they floated down till they 
reached a broad and still more rapid river. Down this they 
drifted till they came at last (November 7, 1805) to its mouth. 
A dense fog hid everything. When it lifted, they found them- 
selves within sight of the Pacific Ocean. The river they had 
descended was that which Captain Robert Gray of Boston 3 
had entered from the Pacific in 1792, and had named the 
Columbia ; he thus gave us our first claim to Oregon. 

Lewis and Clarke returned the next year (September 23, 
1806) to St. Louis. They had been absent nearly two years 
and a half, and had travelled in all over eight thousand miles, 
in boats, on horseback, and on foot. To-day we have books 
of travel by scores, but not one of them is more interesting 
than the account of Lewis and Clarke's remarkable expedition. 
It gave the people of this country their first idea of the immense 
extent, unlimited natural wealth, and almost fabulous wonders 
of the Far West. But the most important result of the expe- 
dition was that it enabled the United States to claim the 
Oregon territory, which Captain Gray had entered, but which 
Lewis and Clarke first really explored. Five years later (181 1) 
John Jacob Astor 4 of New York established a fur-trading post 
called Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia River. 

1 The " Gates of the Rocky Mountains " are near the point where Helena, the 
capital of Montana, is now situated. A short distance above, the Jefferson, Gallatin, 
and Madison rivers unite to form the Missouri. Ascending the Jefferson to its 
source, they crossed the Rocky Mountains and embarked on a branch of the Snake 
or Lewis River, which flows into the Columbia. 

2 In a direct line ; by the river the distance is very much greater. 

3 Captain Robert Gray, born in Tiverton, Rhode Island. He named the river 
from his vessel, the Columbia. Captain Gray was the first man to carry the Ameri- 
can flag round the globe. 4 Astor planned the extension of a line of trading-posts 



1807-1809.] THE LEOPARD AND THE CHESAPEAKE. 211 



217. Effect of the French and English War on the United States ; 
The Leopard and the Chesapeake. — During all this time France 
and England continued at war. Each of these nations forbade 
the United States to trade with the other. This in itself was 
disastrous to our commerce ; but, as if this was not enough, 
England insisted on stopping our vessels on the ocean and 
searching them for British sailors. Unless a man could prove 
that he was an American by birth, the English seized him — 
especially if he was an able-bodied seaman — and compelled 
him to enter their service. In this way they had helped them- 
selves, in spite of our protests, to several thousand men, whom 
they forced to fight for them on board their ships of war. 
Finally (1807), the British man-of-war Leopard stopped the 
Chesapeake, one of our war- vessels, at a time when the latter 
could make no effectual resistance, and seized four of her men, 
one of whom they hanged as a deserter. 

218. The Embargo and the Non-Intercourse Acts. — Congress 
passed the Embargo 1 Act (1807) to put an end to these out- 
rages. The Embargo forbade any American vessel's sailing 
from one of our ports — even a fishing-smack found it difficult 
to leave Boston to get mackerel. 2 Congress hoped that by 
Stopping all trade with Europe we should starve France and 
England into treating us with respect. 

But we did not starve them ; our exports fell off forty 
millions of dollars in a single year, and the loss of trade 
caused great distress and discontent. 

At last New England grew desperate; there seemed danger 
of rebellion, possibly of disunion, if the Embargo Act was not 
repealed. Congress did repeal it; and (1809) passed an act 

of different kinds west from the Great Lakes to the Pacific, and thence to the Sand- 
wich Islands and China. The war of 1812 put a stop to this immense undertaking. 
He died in 1848, leaving a property of twenty million dollars, which has since in- 
creased enormously. 

1 Embargo : an order by the government forbidding ships to leave port. 

2 Coasting and fishing vessels might sail by special permission. 



212 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1807. 



called the Non-Intercourse Act, 1 which forbade the people to 
trade with Great Britain and France, but gave them liberty to 
trade with other foreign countries. But though our exports 
rose, yet many men who had been engaged in commerce 
turned their attention now to manufacturing. This was one 
of the important results of the Non-Intercourse Act, since 
many of the manufactories of the country had their beginning 
at that time- 2 

219. Burr tried for Treason. — Meanwhile (i8o7\ Aaron 
Burr, the former Vice-President of the United States, 3 was 
tried for treason. 4 Burr had shot Hamilton, 5 his political 
opponent, in a duel. That act, hardly different from down- 
right murder, brought him into disgrace. Later, Burr planned 
an enterprise for conquering Texas, which was then part of 
Mexico, and belonged to Spain. He hoped to draw some of 
the Western states to join him, and so to set up an independ- 
ent nation in the Southwest, with New Orleans for its capital, 
he, of course, to be its chief ruler. Burr's guilt could not be 
proved, and he was permitted to go free. He lived to be a 
very old man, and died at last in obscurity and poverty in 
New York. 

220. 11 Fulton's Folly." — In the summer of the same year, 
1807, Robert Fulton 6 launched his newly invented steamboat 

1 Non-Intercourse : from Non, a Latin word meaning not; and Intercourse 
(here, meaning commerce or trade), hence a law forbidding trade. 

2 Later. Congress imposed new and heavier duties on mam* foreign goods, in 
order to enable the American makers to manufacture similar goods in this country, 
which it was thought they could not do at a profit if the foreign goods came in free. 

3 See page 206, note 2. 

4 Treason : an attempt to overthrow the government or break up the Union by 
force of arms. Burr was indicted for treason on the ground that he or his party 
intended to seize New Orleans by force of arms. This charge of treason was set 
aside by the court for the reason that the Constitution did not uphold it. (See the 
Constitution, page xiii. Section 3.) 5 See page 197. 

6 Robert Fulton, born in Fulton. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1765. He 
was of Irish descent. John Fitch of Windsor, Connecticut, had invented a steam- 
boat many years before, and tried in vain to get Benjamin Franklin to help him 



1807-1819.] 



fulton's steamboat. 



213 



on the Hudson. He gave notice that he should start from 
New York City for Albany. Up to that date, all the trade 
and travel on the river had been either by sailing-vessels 
or row-boats. Men called the steamboat " Fulton's Folly." 
Thousands gathered at the wharf (August 11, 1807), to laugh 
and jeer at the expected failure of the invention. 

The steamboat — the Clermont — was a rude affair, with 
uncovered paddle-wheels and clumsy machinery. Men said 
that she was as " helpless as a log." 
Presently the paddles began to re- 
volve. Then the "log" was no 
longer helpless. " She moves ! " 
" She moves ! " shouted the aston- 
ished crowd. Sure enough, she did 
move ; and she kept on moving 
against both wind and current, 
going steadily up stream, until, in 
thirty-two hours, she reached Al- 
bany. Sailors on the Hudson, see- 
ing this puffing monster coming up 
the river after dark, sending out a 
shower of sparks from her smoke- 
pipe, were frightened almost out of 
their senses. Many who had never prayed before, ran below, 
and begged, on their knees, to be saved from the Evil One. 

In a few years, Fulton's great invention made a complete 
change in modes of travel. Steamboats were put on the 
Ohio, the Mississippi, and the Great Lakes, and had a most 
important influence in helping to open up and to settle the 
western part of the United States. A number of years later 
(18 1 9), the Savannah — the first ocean steamship — started 
from Savannah, Georgia, and crossed the Atlantic. Thus the 

make it a success. In 1798 he became discouraged, and committed suicide. In 
his journal he left these words : " The day will come when some more powerful 
man will get fame and riches from my invention." 





214 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1807-1809- 



honor of accomplishing that great feat belongs to a Southern 
state. She set the example which Great Britain was to follow 
twenty years later. 

221. The Importation of Slaves forbidden. — The year of 
Fulton's triumph (1807), Congress put a stop to the importa- 
tion of slaves into the United States. 1 The law had the hearty 
support of the President. He, like Washington and most 
leading men of that day of the South, was a slaveholder. But, 
like Washington and hundreds of other influential Southerners, 
he hoped that the country would find some peaceful means of 
freeing the negroes. 2 Jefferson, in particular, was beloved by 
his slaves, and would gladly have given them their liberty, if 
he could have clearly seen how to do it. He continued to 
hold them, as many other good men did, but he said, "I 
tremble for my country, when I reflect that God is just." 

222. Summary. — Jefferson was the first Democratic Presi- 
dent. He purchased the territory of Louisiana, thereby more 
than doubling the area of the United States, and sent Lewis 
and Clarke to explore the country to the Pacific. During 
Jefferson's administration, 3 Fulton invented the first prac- 
ticable steamboat, and established steam navigation on the 
Hudson ; the pirates of Tripoli and Algiers were conquered • 
the importation of slaves was stopped ; and on account of 
trouble with Great Britain and France, Congress passed the 
Embargo and the Non-Intercourse Acts restraining our foreign 
trade. 

James Madison. 

223. Madison's Administration (Fourth President, Two Terms, 
1809-1817) ; Re-opening of the Trade with Great Britain. — When 

1 After January 1, 1808. See note 3, page 192. 

2 When slavery was prohibited in the Northwest Territory, in 1787 (see Paragraph 
195), every Southern member of Congress voted in favor of the prohibition. 

3 See note 1, page 195. 



1808.] 



HOW NAPOLEON DECEIVED US. 



215 



Madison 1 became President, Great Britain and France were 
actively at war, and our ships were still forbidden by Act of 
Congress 2 to trade with either country. The President was 
anxious to re-open commerce with one or both. The British 
minister 3 at Washington gave Madison to understand that 
England would let our vessels sail the seas unmolested, if we 
would promise to send our wheat, rice, cotton, fish, and other 
exports to her and her friends, but refuse them to her enemy, 
France. The agreement was made. More than a thousand 
of our vessels, loaded with grain and other American products, 
were waiting impatiently for the President to grant them 
liberty to sail for Great Britain. He spoke the word, and 
they ' spread their white wings like a flock of long-imprisoned 
birds, and flew out to sea.' A great shout of joy went up 
from the people ; farmers, merchants, shipowners, — all be- 
lieved that the fleet of vessels that had gone forth would 
return to fill thousands of empty pockets with welcome dol- 
lars. But England refused to carry out the agreement, — 
said it was all a mistake, as in truth it was, 4 and so, to the 
disappointment and anger of multitudes, especially in New 
England, trade stopped as suddenly as it began. 

224. How Napoleon deceived us. — Next, Napoleon, Emperor 
of the French, had a word of promise for us. He had seized 

1 James Madison of Virginia and Alexander Hamilton of New York were the 
foremost of the distinguished statesmen who framed the Constitution and aided 
Washington in organizing the government. Madison not only drafted the main 
features of the Constitution, but offered the first ten amendments, adopted 1791. 

Madison furthermore obtained the passage of the Religious Freedom Act of 
Virginia (originally drawn by Jefferson in 1778), 1785, by which entire religious 
liberty was granted, and all taxes for the support of public worship, and all reli- 
gious tests for holding office in that state were forbidden. In this great reform, 
Virginia led every state, not excepting Rhodo Island, in some respects, and set an 
example followed in the Constitution of the United States (see Constitution, page 
xv, Paragraphs). Madison was born in King George County, Va.,in 1751 ; died 1836. 

Madison (with George Clinton of New York, Vice-President) was elected Presi- 
dent by the Republican, or Democratic, party (see Paragraph 199, and note 4). 

2 See Non-Intercourse Act, Paragraph 218. 3 Minister: see page 189, note 3. 
4 It was the mistake of Mr. Erskine, the British minister. 



2l6 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1811-1812. 



and sold hundreds of our ships, because we would not aid 
him in his war against England. He now agreed to let our 
commerce alone, provided we would bind ourselves not to 
send any of our produce to Great Britain, but would let him 
and his friends have what they wanted to buy. Napoleon's 
offer was a trick to deceive us, and to get us into trouble 
with England. We agreed to his terms ; he did not keep his 
word, and the ill-feeling between England and America was 
made more bitter than ever. 

225. Tecumseh's Conspiracy ; Battle of Tippecanoe. — Mean- 
while, it was discovered that Tecumseh, a famous Indian 
chief, of Ohio, had succeeded in uniting the savage tribes of 
^.^^^^^^.^^^^ the West in a plot to drive out the white 



that England had secretly encouraged Tecumseh's plot. This 
belief helped to increase the desire of the majority for war 
with Great Britain. 

226. The War of 1812 ; the Henry Letters ; the Real Cause of 
the War ; its Declaration. — It was still further increased by a 
man named Henry. He declared that the English govern- 
ment in Canada had employed him to endeavor to persuade 
the New England states to withdraw from the Union and 
join themselves to Canada. In proof of what he alleged, he 
produced a package of letters, which he stated contained 
positive evidence of what he said. Madison paid Henry fifty 
thousand dollars for the letters. They were a fraud, and 
Henry was a villain • but for a time both the President and 




settlers. General Harrison, who became 
President thirty years later (1841), met 
the Indians at Tippecanoe, in the terri- 
tory of Indiana, and defeated them in a 
great battle (181 1). Tecumseh himself, 
however, was not in that battle ; but he 
took a leading part in later ones, led by 
the English. Many Americans believed 




1812.] 



HULL'S MARCH TO DETROIT. 



217 



Congress were completely deceived by this artful swindler, 
and his letters made our hatred of "Great Britain burn hotter 
than ever. 

The real, final cause of the war, however, lay in the fact 
that England persisted in stopping our ships, taking Ameri- 
can seamen out of them, and forcing them, under the sting of 
the lash, to enter her service and fight her battles. 1 Her 
excuse was that she seized men who were British subjects 
and who had deserted and entered our service. This was 
true in some cases, but England made no discrimination, but 
took any able-bodied sailor she fancied. This was an outrage 
that we could no longer bear — thousands of our citizens had 
been kidnapped, but England refused to stop these acts of 
violence. For this reason Congress declared war, in the 
summer of 18 12. New England, knowing that such a war 
would ruin what commerce she had, was opposed to fighting ; 
but the rest of the country thought differently, and, with a 
hurrah for "Free Trade and Sailors' Rights," 2 the war began. 

227. Hull's March to Detroit ; his Surrender. — Our plan was 
to attack Canada, and, if all went well, to annex it. In 
expectation of the war, General William Hull had been 
ordered to march from Urbana, Ohio, to Detroit. Hull had 
served in the Revolution, and Washington had spoken of him 
as "an officer of great merit." In order to reach Detroit he 
had to build two hundred miles of road through forests and 
swamps. It was a tremendous piece of work. Hull did it, 
and reached Detroit. He did not get the news that we had 
declared war, until after the Canadians had got it, and had 

1 England denied that a British subject could become an American citizen. This 
was at a time when she could not get her own people to enter her navy, and used to 
send gangs of sailors ashore in England at night, with hand-cuffs and gags, to seize 
men and drag them off to fight against France. 

2 By "Free Trade," we meant freedom to send our merchant ships to what ports 
we pleased ; by " Sailors' Rights," we meant the protection of American seamen 
against seizure by the British. 



2l8 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1812. 




cut off most of the supplies of provisions and powder that he 
was expecting to receive." The forests back of Detroit were 
full of hostile savages ; in front was the English general, 
Brock, with a force of Canadians and Indians. Brock sum- 
moned Hull to 
surrender. 
Without waiting 
to be attacked, 
without firing a 
single gun at 
the enemy, he 
hoisted a white 
s3| tablecloth as a 
signal to Brock, 
gave up the fort, 
and with it De- 
troit and Michi- 
gan. For this act Hull was tried by a court of American army 
officers, convicted of cowardice, and sentenced to be shot; 
but President Madison pardoned him on account of his ser- 
vices during the Revolution. 1 

228. The Constitution and the Guerriere. 2 — But though we were 
beaten on land, we were wonderfully victorious at sea. Eng- 
land had been in the habit of treating America as though she 
owned the ocean from shore to shore. She had a magnificent 
navy of a thousand war-ships. We had twelve! One of our 
twelve was the Constitution, Captain Isaac Hull 3 — and cer- 
tainly a braver officer never trod a ship's deck. While cruising 
off the coast of Nova Scotia, Captain Hull fell in with the 

1 General Hull's defence was that he surrendered in order to save the women 
and children of Detroit from the scalping-knives of the Indians who formed part 
of Brock's force. James Freeman Clarke says, " Public opinion has long since 
revised this sentence [against Hull], and the best historians disapprove it." 

2 Guerriere (Ghe-re-air'). The British had captured this vessel from the French ; 
hence her French name, meaning the Warrior. 

3 He was nephew of General Hull. 



1812-1813.] 



PERRY S VICTORY. 



219 





British man-of-war Guerriere. The fight began (August 19, 
181 2) without delay, and in twenty minutes the Guerriere 
surrendered, a shattered, helpless, sinking wreck. 1 The Lon- 
don Times said, 'Never before in the history of the world did 
an English frigate haul down her colors to an American ' ; 2 
but before the war was 
over, England had prac- 
tised hauling down her 
flag to Americans so 
much that it had ceased 
to excite surprise. Out 
of fifteen such battles, we 
won twelve. Captain Hull 
brought his prisoners to 
Boston. The Constitu- 
tion, almost unhurt, and 
henceforth known as Old 
Ironsides, 2, was hailed with 
ringing cheers. Hull and 

his brave officers were feasted in Faneuil Hall ; Congress 
voted him a gold medal for the victory, and gave his men 
fifty thousand dollars in prize money. 

229. Progress of the War ; Perry's Victory. — Later that year 
(181 2), the Americans attacked Queenstown, Canada, and 
General Harrison, commander of the army of the West, tried 
to drive the British out of Detroit, but accomplished nothing 
of note. 

But in the autumn (September 10, 18 13), Commodore Perry 
gained a grand victory on Lake Erie. Perry had gone to the 
shore of the lake, and, with the help of a gang of ship-carpen- 
ters, had built five vessels from green timber cut in the wilder- 

1 The Constitution carried heavier guns and more men than the Guerriere. 

2 The Times had forgotten Paul Jones (see page 182). 

3 See Holmes's poem on " Old Ironsides," written when it was proposed to break 
the old ship up. 



Battle of the ''Constitution" and the "Guerriere." 



220 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1813-1814. 



ness back of them. He added four more vessels, and with that 
little fleet captured the British fleet carrying more guns and 

more men. Before the fight began, 
he hoisted a flag over his vessel — 
the Lawrence — bearing the words, 
" Don't give up the ship." 1 During 
the battle, the Lawrence was literally 
cut to pieces, and her decks covered 
with dead and dying men. Perry 
saw that if he persisted in staying 
where he was, he must be defeated. 
Taking his little brother — a boy of twelve — with him, he 
jumped into a boat, and ordered the crew to pull for the 
Niagara. It was a peril- 
ous undertaking. The 
British shot broke the 




oars to pieces, and young c^^v*/^ °^ ^^c/z^O. 
Perry's cap was torn with r^, ^, , y „ „ 

bullets; but the boat / 
reached the Niagara, and (^T^Yr^/' 
Perry gained the battle. Then — on the back of an old letter 

— he wrote this despatch to 
General Harrison, — ~ 

" We have viet the enemy, and 
they are ours." 

That victory gave us con- 
trol of Lake Erie, and the 
British abandoned Detroit. 

230. Jackson's Victory at 
Tohopeka. — The next year 
(18 1 4) General Andrew Jack- 
son — destined to be Presi- 















V 

'■;:&:\':: 
Fv 


\VV"^ Y-\y JJattte ut j a 

v^ ^r if A 
- ;k + $®r 


K E 
I E 




+ Ft..Vcig.i ff't-Sf i>>" n^n- 








of 



1 These were the last words of Captain James Lawrence (June 1, 1813), when he 
fell mortally wounded in a battle between his ship, the Chesapeake, and the English 
ship-of-war Shannon. Perry had given Lawrence's name to his ship. 



1814.] 



BURNING OF WASHINGTON. 



221 




GULF OF MEXICO 



SCALE OF MILES 



dent of the United States — marched against the Creeks, a 
strong Indian tribe in the southwest territory, now forming 
the states of Alabama and Mis- 
sissippi. The Creeks had fought 
against us from the beginning of 
the war ; and the summer before 
Jackson set out to attack them 
they had massacred five hundred 
men, women, and children at 
Fort Mimms, near Mobile. 
Jackson was a man who never 
did things by halves. He drove 
the Indians before him, but at 
last they turned and met him 

. 100 200 300 

(March 27, 18 14) m battle at 

Tohopeka, or Horseshoe Bend, on a branch of the Alabama 
River. Here Jackson killed so many that he completely de- 
stroyed their power, and the result was that the Indians sur- 
rendered the greater part of their 
territory to the United States. 

231. Battles of Chippewa and 
Lundy's Lane ; Burning of Wash- 
ington. — In the summer of the 
same year (18 14) General Brown, 
with General Winfield Scott and 
General Ripley, gained the battle 
of Chippewa, in Canada (July 5, 
18 1 4). Later, they drove the Brit- 
ish from a hard-fought field at 

Lundy's Lane (July 25, 18 14), 
to *> a, near Niagara Falls> 

Meanwhile, the British had blockaded all our ports along the 
Atlantic coast, and had plundered and burned a number of 
towns. Later in the summer (August 24, 18 14) they entered 




SCALE OF MILES 



222 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1814. 



Washington. The sudden appearance of the enemy created a 
panic. President Madison fled in one direction ; Mrs. Madison, 
filling her work-bag with silver spoons, snatched from the 
table, fled in another. The President's dinner, which had just 
been served, was captured and eaten by the enemy. After 

dinner, Admiral Cockburn, the Eng- 
lish commander, and his officers, 
paid a visit to the House of Rep- 
resentatives. Springing into the 
Speaker's chair, he cried out, 
"Shall this harbor of Yankee De- 
mocracy be burned ? All for it 
will say 1 Aye ! ' " A general shout 
of "Aye.!" "Aye!" settled the 
questxon. The torch was applied, 
and soon the evening sky was red 
with the glare of the flames, which 
consumed the Capitol, the Presi- 
dent's House, and other public 
buildings. A recent English historian 1 says of that deed, 
" Few more shameful acts are recorded in our history ; and it 
was the more shameful in that it was done under strict orders 
from the government at home." 2 

232. Macdonough's Victory on Lake Champlain; British Attack 
on Fort McHenry. — A few weeks after the burning of Wash- 
ington, a British expedition fourteen thousand strong moved 
down from Canada by way of Lake Champlain to attack North- 
ern New York. Commodore Macdonough had command of a 
small American fleet on the lake. A British fleet — carrying 
more guns and more men — attacked him (September 11, 18 14) 

1 Green's " History of the English People." 

2 The English justified the burning of Washington on the ground that we had 
burned (May i, 1813) the Canadian government buildings at York (now Toronto), 
then the capital of Canada. The truth is, that both sides perpetrated many acts 
which time should make both forgive and forget. 




1814-1815.] 



VICTORY AT NEW ORLEANS. 



223 



in Plattsburg Bay. 1 At the first broadside fired by the enemy, 
a young game-cock kept as a pet on board Macdonough's ship, 
the Saratoga, new up upon a gun ; flapping his wings, he gave 
a crow of defiance that rang like the blast of a trumpet. Swing- 
ing their hats, Macdonough's men cheered the plucky bird again 
and again. He had foretold victory. That was enough. They 
went into the fight with such ardor, and managed their vessels 
with such skill, that in less than three hours all of the British 
ships that had not hauled down their flags were scudding to 
a place of safety as rapidly as possible. That ended the 
invasion from Canada. 

The next British attack was on Baltimore, by the same force 
and fleet that had taken Washington. That city was guarded 
by Fort McHenry. All day and ail the following night (Sep- 
tember 13, 1S14) the enemy's ships hammered away wirh shot 
and shell at the fort. Would it, could it, hold out ? was the 
anxious question of the people of Baltimore. When the sun 
rose the next morning, the question was answered — " our flag 
was still there," the British had given up the attack, and were 
sailing down Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore was safe. 2 

233. Jackson's Victory at New Orleans ; the Hartford Conven- 
tion ; End of the War. — Early the next year came the final 
battle of the war. The contest had now lasted over two years. 
The British determined to strike a tremendous blow at New 
Orleans. If successful, it might give them a foothold on the 
Mississippi River. Ten thousand picked men under Sir Ed- 
ward Pakenham made the attack (January 8, 181 5). General 
Andrew Jackson defended the approach to the city with for- 

1 See Map. page 218. 

2 It was on this occasion that Francis S. Key, of Baltimore, wrote <; The Star- 
Spangled Banner." Key was a prisoner at the time on board of one of the British 
men-of-war. All night long he watched the bombardment of the fort. By the flash 
of the guns he could see our flag waving over it. In the morning, when the mist 
cleared away, he found it was " still there." His feelings of delight found expression 
in the song, which he hastily wrote in pencil on the back of an old letter. In a few 
weeks the people were singing it from one end of the country to the other. 



224 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1814-1815. 

tifications made of cotton-bales and banks of earth. He had 
just half as many men as the British commander, and they were 
men, too, who knew practically nothing of war. 

In less than half an hour after the fight began, Pakenham was 
killed, and the enemy had lost so heavily 1 that they gave up 
the battle. It was the end of the war. Great Britain had 
already made peace with our commissioners at Ghent, in Bel- 
gium (December 24, 1814); but as it often took even fast 
sailing-vessels a month or six weeks to cross the Atlantic, the 
news did not reach us until several weeks after Jackson's vic- 
tory. The treaty said nothing about the British claim of the 
right to search American vessels ; but there was hardly need 
to mention it, for our ships were no longer molested. 

While the news of the treaty of peace was on its way, dele- 
gates from most of the New England states met in Hartford, 
in secret session. The enemies of New England said that 
the Convention wished to dissolve the Union. The delegates 
declared that they met to secure defence for the New England 
states, and to propose certain amendments to the Constitution. 

234. Results of the War. — The war, sometimes called 
"the second war for independence," had three chief results: 
1. Though our military operations had generally been far 
from successful on land, yet we convinced Great Britain that 
we were able and determined to make our rights on the ocean 
respected. 2. The war showed foreign nations that any at- 
tempt to establish themselves on the territory of the United 
States was likely to end in disastrous failure. 3. By cutting 
off our foreign commerce for a number of years, the war 
caused us to build many cotton and woollen mills, thus mak- 
ing us to a much greater degree than before a manufacturing 
people — able to clothe ourselves, instead of having to de- 
pend on the looms of Great Britain for our calico and our 
broadcloth. 

1 Only 8 Americans were killed ; 2600 British were killed and wounded. 



1817.] 



monroe's administration. 



225 



235. Summary. — Madison's administration was mainly taken 
up with the second war with Great Britain, begun in 18 12 and 
ended early in 18 15. The cause of the war was the refusal of 
England to stop seizing our sailors on board our ships and 
forcing them into her service. The war had the good effect 
of putting an end to this practice. That was over eighty 
years ago. Since then England and America have been at 
peace with each other. May that peace never again be broken ! 

James Monroe. 

236. Monroe's Administration (Fifth President; Two Terms, 
1817-1825) ; Monroe a Soldier of the Revolution; his Inaugura- 
tion. — Monroe, 1 like Washington, got the best part of his 
education on the battle-field. When the Revolution broke out 
he was a student in the College of William and Mary, 2 Virginia. 
Knowing that the country needed her young men to fight for 
her, he laid down his books and went to do his part in the 
cause of liberty ; among the gallant officers who helped to 
gain the victory of Trenton 3 James Monroe, then only eighteen, 
was one. 

Mr. Monroe stood near the ruins of the Capitol at Wash- 
ington when he took the oath of office, 4 and delivered his 
inaugural address. The British had burned, 5 but had not 
wholly destroyed that edifice, and the foundations remained 
unharmed. Workmen were then busily engaged in rebuilding 
it. 6 The President's address to the people was full of encour- 
agement. It seemed to him that the solid foundations of the 

1 James Monroe of Westmoreland County, Virginia (born 1758 ; died 1S31), was 
elected President by the Republican or Democratic party (see page 195, note 4) by 
a very large majority over the Federalist candidate. Daniel D. Tompkins of New 
York was chosen Vice-President. On Monroe's second election, see page 226. 

2 The College of William and Mary, near Williamsburg, Virginia, is the oldest 
college, except Harvard, in the United States, and at the outbreak of the Revolution 
it was the wealthiest. 

3 See Paragraph 174. 4 See note 4, page 196. 5 See Paragraph 231. 
6 The Capitol has since been greatly enlarged, and a new dome erected. 



226 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY, [1817. 



Capitol stood an image of the nation, and that, like them, the 
government was sure to continue to exist. 

237. The President's Journey through the North; the " Era 
of Good Feeling." — Mr. Monroe spent the summer (181 7) in 
travelling through New England and the Northern states. 
New England had been bitterly opposed to the war of 181 2, 
because the stoppage of commerce had ruined many of her 
merchants and ship-builders. The President's journey in this 
part of the country did great good. He went as a peacemaker. 
All knew that he had fought under Washington ; all respected 
the man's unblemished character and honest purpose. When 
the New England people saw him dressed in the military cos- 
tume of the Revolution, the sight brought back the old- days 
that had 'tried men's souls.' 1 In Boston and other cities the 
citizens brought out the shot-torn and smoke-stained battle- 
flags of '76 s to decorate the streets. Gray-haired men, scarred 
with wounds received at Bunker Hill, at Trenton, at Saratoga, 
gathered to welcome the new President. When he spoke, it 
was of the inestimable worth of the Union, of the need that 
the North and the South had, and always must have, for each 
other. Men listened, and forgot their political differences and 
hatreds ; party lines seemed to fade away. Every one declared 
that the " Era of Good Feeling " had begun. When Mr. Mon- 
roe was chosen President for the second time (1821) the peo- 
ple showed their respect for him and their confidence in him 
by their electoral vote, which lacked but a single one of being 
unanimous. 3 

1 No country ever made more generous provision for its old soldiers than the 
United States did (in Monroe's administration) for those who had fought in the 
Revolution. The government pensioned the veterans of the war, and their widows, 
spending in all about $65,000,000 in that noble work. 2 1776. 

3 Out of 232 electoral votes cast by the twenty-four states then constituting the 
Union, Monroe received 231. The elector who cast the remaining vote (for John 
Quincy Adams) did it simply because he had vowed " that no later mortal should 
stand in Washington's shoes " — that is, receive, like Washington, every vote for the 
presidency. 



1817-1818.] 



THE FIRST SEMINOLE WAR. 



227 



238. The First Seminole War ; the Purchase of Florida. — 

Florida, which belonged to Spain, 1 was a constant source of 
trouble to the people of the South. Pirates, robbers, despera- 
does of all kinds, had got complete control of that territory. 
Many Seminoles, or wandering Indians, 2 had gone there from 
the country west of Georgia, and, uniting with runaway negroes 
from the South, they sallied out and attacked the Georgia 
planters, burning houses, murdering families, and carrying off 
property. Several attempts had been made (181 7) to put a 
stop to these outrages ; but, as it was no easy matter to fight 
the Indians and negroes in the swamps and thickets of Florida, 
nothing satisfactory had been accomplished. Finally, General 
Jackson 3 was sent (18 18) to see what he could do. His meas- 
ures were sharp and energetic ; in three months he had con- 
quered the country, though it still continued to belong to 
Spain. 

The Spanish government found that these, troubles were 
likely to break out again, and that the people of Georgia would 
never rest until they got possession of Florida ; Spain there- 
fore wisely decided to sell it to us. We obtained the entire 
territory, about sixty thousand square miles (18 19), for five 
million dollars, thus adding another large area 4 to the United 
States. 5 At the same time Spain gave up all claim to the 
Oregon country, and so strengthened our title to it. 

239. The Question of the Western Extension of Slavery. — 

The year in which we purchased Florida the question came 
up, whether slavery should be permitted to establish itself 
beyond the Mississippi, in the northern part of the territory 

1 See Paragraph 144. Great Britain ceded Florida back to Spain in 1783. 

2 Seminoles (wanderers). The name was given to the Indians of Florida by the 
Indians of Georgia and the Southwest. The second Seminole War began in 1835. 

3 See Paragraph 230. 4 See Map, page 183. 

5 When the United States made the treaty with Spain for the purchase of Florida 
.(1819) we gave up to Spain all claim to the country west of the Sabine River (later 
known as Texas) ; and on the other hand, Spain agreed to make over to the United 
States all her title and claims to Oregon, (See " Table of Boundaries.") 



228 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1817-1819. 

of Louisiana, 1 then called Missouri. Congress had shut out 
slavery (1787) from the Northwest Territory ; 2 now the discus- 
sion began whether it should in like manner shut it out from 
that part of the country beyond the Mississippi, north of a line 
drawn west from near the point where the Ohio joins that river. 

Jefferson was afraid that this discussion would lead to 
trouble between the states. He said that the suddenness with 
which it arose terrified him "like a fire-beil in the night." 

240. Change of Feeling in Regard to Slavery ; Condition of Things 
at the North and at the South. — The reason for this fear was that 
a great change had come over the country. Before, and even 
during, the Revolution, every colony held negroes in bondage. 
But in the North the slaves were chiefly house-servants, and 
their number was never very large. In the South, however, 
the planters raised all their crops by slave labor, and the 
number of negroes was constantly increasing. At first, few 
persons considered slavery an evil ; but after a time many 
able men in both sections of the country came to believe it a 
bad thing for both the whites and the blacks. 

In the North, this feeling gradually led to the passing of 
laws which gave the slaves their freedom. This was not the 
case at the South, because there the planters did not see how 
they could free their negroes without ruining themselves. 

Later, as has been shown, 3 the invention of the cotton-gin 
made slave labor immensely profitable. The natural result 
was that the planters wished to keep the system up. At the 
same time, a good many Northern men who made money by 
manufacturing and dealing in cotton cloth became interested 
in maintaining slavery. 

1 See Paragraph 215, and compare Map, page 209. Slaves were held in the 
southern part of that territory (in New Orleans and vicinity) when we purchased the 
territory from France ; hence the State of Louisiana came in with slavery, in 1812. 

2 That is, the territory north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi, forming now 
the five states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, with Eastern 
Minnesota, See Paragraph 195. 3 See Paragraph 205. 



1819.] 



FEELING IN REGARD TO SLAVERY. 



229 



241. How Slavery divided the Country in Regard to Trade with 
Europe. — On the whole, the effect of the slave system was 
now to divide the nation, instead of uniting it. The people of 
the two sections not only thought differently about the right 
and the wrong of holding the negro in bondage, but their 
business interests had come to be different. The South de- 
voted all its strength to raising cotton, rice, and tobacco. 
Whatever manufactured goods — such as cloth, shoes, hats 
— it needed, it had to buy ; and as Europe could make such 
goods much cheaper then than we possibly could, the South 
naturally wished for free trade, in order that it might import 
its supplies from the other side of the Atlantic. 

The North, however, had gradually come to devote much of 
its labor and its money to making cloth and other goods ; for 
this reason it was opposed to free trade in these articles. It 
wished to tax the importation of whatever it could manufac- 
ture to advantage, and so keep foreign goods high, and induce 
people to buy our own instead. Hence, while the South 
wanted liberty to send abroad for goods, the North believed 
that the country would thrive better if manufacturers were 
protected .by government in making them here. 

242. Why the North opposed the Extension of Slavery West of 
the Mississippi; why the South demanded it. — The great majority 
of the Northern people, believing slavery to be an evil, had 
therefore two chief reasons for opposing its establishment in 
the new territory west of the Mississippi : 1. They thought it 
would be a serious injury to that part of the country, and as 
great a mistake as for a farmer to take the thistles and weeds 
which grew on his old land and deliberately plant them on a 
field of freshly cleared soil. 2. They objected to it because, 
if the new territory should be admitted as slave states, the 
South would thereby gain such a great number of representa- 
tives in Congress that it would have a large majority. That 
section could then, by its votes, strengthen and extend slavery, 



230 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1819-1820. 



and at the same time secure the passage of laws which 
would permit the free importation of all kinds of manufac- 
tured goods. 

The South, on the other hand, was firmly convinced that 
its prosperity depended on the extension of slave labor, and 
on free trade with Europe. The people there saw that the 
North was rapidly outstripping them in growth of population. 
If, then, the new territory should come in as free soil, the 
result would be that the North would soon get control of 
Congress, and so control of trade. 

Both sides were tne more eager because since 181 2 five 
states — Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, and Alabama 
— had entered the Union. This made the number of free and 
of slave states (1819) equal, each section having eleven. The 
next state admitted would throw the power on the side of 
either freedom or slavery. 

243. The Missouri Compromise. — When, therefore, Missouri 
took steps to gain admission as a slave state, the South urged 
the measure with all its might, and the North fought against 
it with equal determination. After nearly two years of angry 
debate, Henry Clay 1 of Kentucky succeeded in persuading 
Congress to make a compromise. 2 It was this : Missouri was 
to be allowed to enter the Union as a slave state, but on the 
express condition that in all future cases the states formed out 

1 Henry Clay was born in Virginia in 1777; died at Washington, 1852. He 
studied law, and in 1797 removed to Lexington, Kentucky. In 1799, when the 
people of Kentucky were about adopting a state constitution, Clay urged them 
(but without success) to abolish slavery. He entered Congress ixi 1806, and con- 
tinued in public life from that time until his death. He was a man of remarkable 
personal influence, a " peacemaker " by temperament, and the greatest orator the 
Southwest ever possessed. Although ardently attached to his adopted state of 
Kentucky, yet he declared in 1850 that he owed his first allegiance to the Union, 
and a subordinate allegiance to his state. See Carl Schurz's admirable " Life of 
Henry Clay " in the " American Statesmen Series." 

2 It was called a compromise because, as will be seen, each side promised to 
give up something to the other for the sake of making a peaceful settlement of 
the dispute. 



1820-1825.] 



THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE. 



231 



of the territory west and northwest of Missouri — that is, north 
of the parallel of 36 degrees and 30 minutes on the map — 
should come in free. 1 Congress passed this law in 1820, under 
the name of the Missouri Compromise. 2 Meantime, Maine 
had been admitted (1820) ; so that, when Missouri entered 
the Union (1821), the balance between the free and the slave 
states was still kept, — each section had just twelve. 

Many people now believed that the debate about the exten- 
sion of slavery was settled "forever." But facts proved that 
in this case " forever " meant something less than twenty-five 
years ; 3 then, as we shall see, the question was to come up 
again, and in a more dangerous form than before. 

244. Desire to reach the West ; the " National Road." — Next 
to the extension of slavery, one of the greatest questions of 
this period was how to reach the West. To-day, we find it 
difficult to understand this. To get West, we simply step into 
an express train, and steam whirls us to our destination at the 
rate of forty miles an hour. If mountains block the way, the 
train either climbs over them or goes through them. In 
President Monroe's time the railroad did not exist, and, 
although the steamboat did, that could only go where some 
navigable river or lake opened the way. Look on the map of 
the United States, and you will see that the Alleghany Moun- 
tains shut out the East from the West. As the steamboat 
could not find a passage leading through those rough walls of 
rock, Congress resolved to build a road over them. Such a 
national road had already been begun on the banks of the 
Potomac, at Cumberland, Maryland. It was now (1825) grad- 
ually extended across the forest-covered mountains to Wheel- 

1 See Map facing page 230. 

2 John Randolph of Virginia called the Northern men who voted for the Com- 
promise " Doughfaces," because he thought they had no more character than a 
piece of dough. 

3 That is, until the question of the Wilmot Proviso came up in 1846, followed 
by that of the Compromise of 1850 and that of the admission of Kansas in 1854. 



232 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1823. 

ing, on the Ohio River, where it would connect with steamboats 
running to Cincinnati, or even to New Orleans. 

But that was not enough. There were millions of acres of 
fertile lands in Ohio and the country beyond it, that emigrants 
wished to reach more directly than the steamboat would help 
them to do. For this reason it was proposed to extend the 
National Road from Wheeling through to the Mississippi. 
President Monroe earnestly favored this and similar enter- 
prises, but did not think that he had lawful power under the 
Constitution to spend the people's money for such purposes. 
Indirectly, however, he used every effort to help it forward. 
The road was gradually built farther and farther west. It 
was the first great work of the kind undertaken by the United 
States, costing, in the end, over six million dollars. It stretched 
across the country for hundreds of miles, — broad, solid, smooth, 
— a true national highway. 1 

245. Traffic on the National Road ; Emigrant Wagons. — The 

traffic over it was immense. Gayly painted stage-coaches ran 
through the more thickly settled parts. Beyond, toward the 
west, there was a constant stream of huge canvas-covered emi- 
grant wagons, often so close together that the leaders of the 
teams could touch the wagon ahead of them with their noses. 
To see that procession of emigrant families going forward day 
after day gave one an idea of how fast the people were settling 
that wild western country, which is now covered with cultivated 
farms and thriving towns. 

It was the beginning of that great march toward the setting 
sun which was to keep steadily advancing until the Pacific said 
"Halt !" — that is, until we had taken possession of the whole 
breadth of the continent. 

246. The " Monroe Doctrine " ; " America for Americans." — 

While the National Road was being pushed westward, Mexico 
and several South American countries had declared themselves 

1 The Road was carried nearly to the Mississippi by the State governments. 



THE MONROE DOCTRINE. 

From President Monroe's Message to Congress, December 2, 1823. 

Fellow-Citizens of the Senate and House of Representatives : 

(I.) "At the proposal of the Russian imperial government 
. . . a full power and instructions have been transmitted 
to the minister of the United States at St. Petersburg, to 
arrange, by amicable negotiation, the respective rights and 
interests of the two nations on the northwest coast of this 
continent." [Russia at that time, not satisfied with owning 
Alaska, claimed the greater part of the Oregon country, and 
was attempting to plant colonies on the coast of the Mexican 
State of California.] . . . "The occasion has been judged 
proper for asserting, as a principle in which the rights and 
interests of the United States are involved, that the American 
continents, by the free and independent condition which they have 
assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as 
subjects for future colonization by any European powers." 

(II.) " In the wars of the European powers, in matters relat- 
ing to themselves, we have never taken any part, nor does it 
comport with our policy so to do. It is only when our rights 
are invaded, or seriously menaced, that we resent injuries or 
make preparations for our defence. With the movements in 
this hemisphere we are, of necessity, more immediately con- 
nected and by causes which must be obvious to all enlightened 
and impartial observers. The political system of the Allied 
Powers is essentially different in this respect from that of 
America. . . . We owe it, therefore, to candor and to the 
amicable relations existing between the United States and 
those Powers to declare that we should consider any attempt on 
their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere 
as dangerous to our peace and safety. With the existing colo- 
nies or dependencies of any European power we have not 
interfered and shall not interfere. But with the governments 
who have declared their independence " [i.e. the Spanish 
South American Republics, and the Republic of Mexico] 
"and maintained it, and whose independence we have, on 
great consideration and on just principles, acknowledged, we 



could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppress- 
ing them, or controlling in any other manner their destiny, 
by any European power, in any other light than as the mani- 
festation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States." 

Note on the Monroe Doctrine. — The essential part of what is popularly 
known as the Monroe Doctrine will be found in the passages printed in 
italics in the above message. 

Shortly after the defeat of Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo (1S15) the 
sovereigns of Austria, Prussia, and Russia, who had been leagued against the 
great French commander, formed a " Holy Alliance." The object of this 
treaty or compact was to suppress any attempts to establish liberal and 
popular governments on the continent of Europe. 

In 1823 the report reached the United States that the Holy Alliance was 
preparing to help Spain conquer Mexico and the Republics in South America 
which had declared themselves independent of the Spanish monarch. 

About the same time Russia undertook to extend her possessions on the 
northwest coast of America so as to endanger our hold on Oregon. (See 
Paragraphs 216, 286.) 

John Quincy Adams, who was then Secretary of State, told the Russian 
minister that "we should contest the right of Russia to any territorial 
establishment on this continent, and that we should assume distinctly the 
principle that the American continents are no longer subjects for any new 
European colonial establishments." Mr. Adams believed that the whole of 
North America belonged to the United States by what he called a "law 
of nature." 

Later in the same year (1823) Mr. Canning, who was a member of the 
English cabinet, proposed to Mr. Rush, the American minister in London, 
that the United States should cooperate with England in preventing the 
Holy Alliance from interfering with the Spanish American Republics. 

President Monroe consulted Jefferson on this point and Jefferson replied : 
" Our first and fundamental maxim should be, never to entangle ourselves 
in the broils of Europe. Our second, never to suffer Europe to intermeddle 
with cis-Atlantic affairs." 

In these utterances of John Quincy Adams and Ex-President Jefferson 
we have the idea which President Monroe formulated in his Message. The 
late Dr. Justin Winsor says (Winsor's "America," vii. 524) that " Popular 
estimation has given a more defiant meaning to Monroe's language than was 
intended." But it is noteworthy that the Holy Alliance abandoned the proj- 
ect of interfering with the Spanish American Republics, and that Russia, by 
treaty of 1824, gave up all claims to territory south of 54°4o', or the southern 
boundary of Alaska. See Gilman's " James Monroe " ; Morse's " John Quincy 
Adams " ; and Prof. Woolsey on the " Monroe Doctrine " in Johnson's " Uni- 
versal Cyclopaedia" (new edition). 



1823-1825.] 



VISIT OF LAFAYETTE. 



233 



republics, independent of Spain. The Czar of Russia and the 
European kings looked with a jealous eye on republics. We 
suspected that these rulers had promised to help the king of 
Spain to force the new American nations to bow their heads 
again under the old despotic yoke from which they had just 
freed themselves. President Monroe cried, Hands off ! In 
his message to Congress (1823) he declared that, while the 
United States was resolved not to meddle with the affairs of 
the nations of the Old World, we were equally determined that 
they should not meddle with the affairs of the New. That dec- 
laration is called the "Monroe Doctrine." 1 It means that we 
consider that "America is for Americans." We stand by the 
right of the different nations on both the American continents, 
North and South, to manage their own affairs in their own way, 
without interference from Europe. 

247. Visit of Lafayette. — Near the close of Monroe's admin- 
istration, Congress requested the President to invite Lafayette, 
then a venerable man verging on seventy, to revisit the United 
States after forty years' absence. He came (1824), and spent 
more than a year travelling through the country as the guest 
of the nation. He visited every one of the twenty-four states, 
and all of the principal cities and towns. He had spent much 
of his fortune in our cause. Congress gratefully voted him two 
hundred thousand dollars, and made him a grant of twenty-four 
thousand acres of land. He was everywhere received with en- 
thusiasm and affection. Some of the old soldiers of the Revo- 
lution, who had fought under him, were completely overcome 
by their feelings on seeing their former commander, and fainted 
when they grasped the hand that had so generously helped them 

1 President Monroe, in his message of December 2, 1823, says, speaking of the 
proposed interference of European governments in America, " We should consider 
any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere 
as dangerous to our peace and safety P And again, in the same message, the Presi- 
dent says that we should consider such interference " as the manifestation of an un- 
friendly disposition toward the United States:' These two passages contain what 
is to-day regarded as the " Monroe Doctrine. 1 ' 



234 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1825. 



in the dark days of the war. Lafayette took part in laying the 
corner-stone of Bunker Hill Monument (June 17, 1825), just 
fifty years after the battle. 1 When he returned to France that 
autumn he was followed by the grateful prayers of the power- 
ful nation he had done so much to establish. 

248. Summary. — Three chief events marked the period of 
the presidency of James Monroe. They were : 1. The debate 
on the extension of slavery west of the Mississippi River, end- 
ing in the Missouri Compromise. 2. The pushing forward of 
the National Road into Ohio, which opened up a large section 
of the West to emigrants from the Atlantic states. 3. Just be- 
fore Lafayette's visit we declared by the Monroe Doctrine that 
Europe must keep her hands off both American continents. 

John Quincy Adams. 

249. John Quincy Adams's Administration (Sixth President, 
One Term, 1825-1829); 2 Governor Clinton and the Erie Canal. — 

1 See Webster's address at the laying of the corner-stone of the Bunker Hill 
Monument, June 17, 1825. 

2 John Quincy Adams, son of President John Adams, was born in Braintree (now 
Quincy), Massachusetts, in 1767 ; died, 1848. He was independent in politics, though 
his sympathies were with the National Republican or early Whig party. This party, 
the successor of the Federalists (see Paragraph 199), desired, like them, to give a 
broad interpretation to the Constitution. They favored a protective tariff (that is, a 
heavy tax imposed on imported goods for the purpose of "protecting" our manufac- 
turers against foreign competition — a revenue tariff is a lighter tax imposed merely 
to obtain money or revenue for the government). They also favored public improve- 
ments — such as the building of roads, canals, and the like — at the expense of the 
nation, in opposition to the Democratic party, which insisted on a strict interpreta- 
tion of the Constitution, favored free trade, or a simple revenue tariff, and believed 
that each state should make its own improvements at its own expense. 

John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson were the two leading candidates for the 
presidency in 1824 ; the latter represented the Republican, or Democratic party, though 
party lines at that time were not very clearly defined. Neither candidate got a major- 
ity of the electoral votes ; and the House of Representatives finally chose Mr. Adams 
President (John C. Calhoun of South Carolina Vice-President). Mr. Adams had 
refused to make any exertion to secure his own election ; and when asked by his 
friend Edward Everett if he did not intend to do something to obtain it, he replied, 
" I shall do absolutely nothing." It was one of those rare cases in which the office 
sought the man, and not the man the office. 



1825.] 



THE ERIE CANAL. 



235 



The year that Mr. Adams became President (1825) the Erie 
Canal was completed by the state of New York. It was the 
most important public improvement yet made in the United 
States. It connected the Hudson River at Troy and Albany 
with Lake Erie, at the point where the city of Buffalo now stands. 

Governor De Witt Clinton of New York carried the great work 
through. When he proposed it, many denounced and ridiculed 
the undertaking as a sheer waste of the people's hard-earned 
money. They nicknamed it "Clinton's Big Ditch." They 
said that it never would be completed, that it would swallow 
up millions in taxes, and in the end yield nothing but mud. 



250. How the Canal was built; its Opening. — Governor Clin- 
ton had indeed put his hand to a stupendous task. Lake Erie 
is three hundred and sixty-three miles west of the Hudson, and 
it is nearly six hundred feet 
above the level of that river. 
The country between the Hud- 
son and the lake is in some 
places rough and broken. 
There were people in New 
York who knew these diffi- 
culties, and who asked the 
governor whether he could 
make water run up hill. He 
replied that he could do bet- 
ter : he could build locks 
which would make the water 
lift the canal-boats over the 
hills. 

When all was ready, he set his army of laborers at work. 
They toiled eight years in the wilderness, cutting down forests, 
excavating the earth, blasting their way through ridges of rock, 
building aqueduct-bridges to carry the canal across rivers, con- 
structing locks of solid masonry to carry it up the hillsides. 




Locks at Lockport, on the Erie Canal 



236 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1825. 

In the autumn of 1825 the great undertaking was finished, 
and, when the water was let in, a row of cannon about five 
miles apart, extending from Buffalo to New York, flashed the 
news the whole length of the state. Governor Clinton travelled 
from Buffalo to Albany by the canal, and thence by the Hud- 
son to New York City. He brought with him a keg of water 
from Lake Erie. When he reached the city, he solemnly poured 
the water into the harbor, to commemorate, as he said, " the 
navigable communication opened between our Mediterranean 
seas 1 and the Atlantic Ocean." 

251 . What the Canal has done for New York and for the Country. 

— The Canal has since done far more than Governor Clinton 
expected. The expense of building it was easily paid by 
means of a small tax levied by the state on boats and 
freight. 2 Before the canal was built, the charge for hauling 
a barrel of flour from Albany to Buffalo was ten dollars, and 
it took three weeks' hauling to get it there. After the canal 
was opened, a barrel of flour could be sent through in a week, 
at a cost of thirty cents ! Since its completion to the present 
time, over six thousand million dollars' worth of freight has 
been carried on its waters. 

The canal originally ran through a country in great part 
unsettled. It was the means of bringing in great numbers 
of emigrants from the East. On its banks now, there are 
scores of flourishing towns and rapidly growing cities. New 
York City gained immensely by the trade with the West 
which began to spring up as soon as this water-way was 
opened. To-day the canal is free; a constant procession of 
boats laden with grain is seen going eastward day and night ; 
a similar procession, laden with merchandise, is seen going 
westward. This movement is a means of growth and a source 

1 He gave this appropriate name to the Great Lakes. 

2 Before the completion of the New York Central Railroad, the canal carried 
thousands of passengers and emigrants : it now carries freight only. 



1828-1830.] EXPERIMENTS WITH " STEAM- WAGONS." 237 



of wealth to both sections of the country. On the one hand 
it makes food cheaper all through the East, on the other it 
makes imported goods cheaper throughout the West. 

252. Experiments with "Steam-Wagons." — A few years 
later a work was begun in Maryland which was destined to 
have greater results even than the Erie Canal. Fulton had 
shown the world that the steam-engine could be successfully 
used to propel boats ; the next question was, why could not 
the steam-engine be put on wheels, and made to propel itself 
on land ? After many experiments and many failures, George 
Stephenson 1 invented a " steam-wagon," or locomotive, in 
England, which would draw a train of cars on a track, at 
the rate of ten or fifteen miles an hour. Meanwhile, Oliver 
Evans and other ingenious American mechanics had been 
experimenting with " steam-wagons " in this country. 

253. Breaking Ground for the First Passenger Railroad in 
America. — In 1828, the venerable Charles Carroll of Carroll- 
ton, Maryland, performed the ceremony of breaking ground 
for the construction of a railroad from Baltimore westward. 
The road now forms part of the Baltimore and Ohio railway 
system. Mr. Carroll, then over ninety years of age, was the 
only person living who had signed the Declaration of Ameri- 
can Independence (1776). As he struck the spade into the 
ground with a firm hand, he said, " I consider this among the 
most important acts of my life, second only to that of signing 
the Declaration of Independence, if second even to that." 

254. The First American Locomotive ; the Road opened ; the 
Race. — The first locomotive which ran over the road (1830) 
was built at Baltimore by Peter Cooper, since widely known 
for his noble gift of the Cooper Institute to New York City. 
His engine had little resemblance to our modern ones ; but it 
drew a rudely constructed open wagon filled with passengers, 

1 See the il Leading Facts of English History," in this series. 



238 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1828-1831. 



and that in itself was no small triumph. The road at first 
extended only to Ellicott's Mills, about thirteen miles from 
Baltimore. The trip was made in somewhat less than an 
hour. On the return, the train had a race with a spirited 
gray horse belonging to one of the Baltimore stage-coach 
lines. The gray did his best ; the puffing, wheezing little 
locomotive did its best likewise. Finally, steam conquered; 
and a great shout of victory went up from the dozen pas- 
sengers in the open wagon. That shout meant that the days 
of stage-coaches were numbered. 

255. Growth of Railroads in the United States; Results. — 

The same year (1830) six miles of the Charleston and 
Augusta Railroad were opened; a year later (1831) the 
Mohawk and Hudson Railroad began to carry passengers 




First Steam Train (183 1) on the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, New York. 



in New York. In ten years the thirteen miles of track in 
Maryland had multiplied to nearly three thousand miles in 
different states. These have since increased more than sixty- 
fold, — binding the nation together in all directions with 
bands of steel, and making every part of it quickly, cheaply, 
and easily accessible to every other part. The men of Jeffer- 
son's time who lived to see what the railroad accomplished 
no longer doubted whether the United States could reach 
beyond the Alleghanies. Steam convinced them that the 
republic was destined to get possession of the West as well 
as of the East. 



1826-1840.] THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE. 239 

256. The Temperance Cause ; Drinking Habits in Early Days. 

— Side by side with this wonderful material advance, the 
country was now beginning to make progress in moral re- 
forms, especially with respect to temperance. One of the 
great evils of the times was drunkenness. In the early days 
of our history the use of liquor was almost universal. People 
quite usually began the day by taking a glass of whiskey or 
rum; they had another glass in the middle of the forenoon; 
another at dinner; perhaps another, to help them through 
the afternoon, especially if it was a long afternoon ; and, in 
order to make sure of getting enough, they seldom, if ever, 
missed taking a last glass before going to bed, that they might, 
as they said, make certain of pleasant dreams. No well-to-do 
farmer thought he could get in his hay without a good-sized 
jug of whiskey to refresh himself and his men ; no house or 
church was built without plenty of spirits to help get the 
timbers into place ; no bargain was clinched without their 
aid ; and no gentleman called on another without being 
asked to take a social glass. 

257. The First Successful Temperance Society ; what has been 
done. — In 1826, the "American Society for the Promotion of 
Temperance " was formed in Boston ; and a number of years 
later (1840), six men, who knew the evils of the vice of 
intemperance from, their own sad personal experience, met in 
Baltimore, signed a total-abstinence pledge, and founded the 
" Washingtonian Temperance Society." 1 That movement did 
immense good, and restored, it is said, a hundred and fifty 
thousand drunkards to the manhood they had lost through 

1 The first temperance societies did not insist on total abstinence from all alco- 
holic drinks, but only from the use of distilled spirits such as whiskey, brandy, and 
the like. Later, they required — like the Washingtonians — a pledge of " total 
abstinence from all that can intoxicate"; but they still retained the name of tem- 
perance societies, though strictly speaking, they had now become total abstinence 
societies. In 1851 the state of Maine enacted a prohibitory law forbidding the 
manufacture or sale of intoxicating liquors as beverages. Since then, a number of 
other states have passed similar laws. 



24O LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1829. 



drink. Since then a great change for the better has come 
over society. " Strong drink " still slays its thousands in the 
United States as elsewhere ; but the young man beginning 
life now has this in his favor: all the best influences are 
opposed to intemperance — seventy years ago a majority of 
influences seemed to encourage it. 

258. Summary. — The presidency of John Quincy Adams 
was marked by three important events : i. The completion 
of the Erie Canal. 2. The building of the first passenger 
railroad in the United States. 3. The first successful attempt 
at temperance reform. 

Andrew Jackson. 

259. Jackson's Administration (Seventh President, Two Terms, 
1829-1837); Character of the New President. — Up to this date all 
the Presidents had been chosen from Virginia or from Massa- 
chusetts, and all were known to the country as statesmen of 
a high order. General Jackson 1 came from Tennessee. He was 

1 Andrew Jackson was of Scotch-Irish descent (see note 4, page 97). He was 
born in 1767, in the Waxhaw Settlement, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 
close to the South Carolina boundary line. In his will and elsewhere he speaks of 
himself as a native of the latter state. He died in 1845. He got his early education 
rather from the hard, rough, dangerous life of the backwoods than from books and 
schools. No one could excel him in handling a rifle, or in breaking and riding a 
wild or vicious horse. 

During the Revolution, Jackson, then a lad of fourteen, was taken prisoner by 
the British, and was nearly starved to death by them. Once the commanding officer 
ordered him to clean his boots. Young Jackson refused, saying that he was a 
prisoner of war, and therefore not obliged to perform such acts of drudgery for his 
captors. The officer, in a rage, struck him with his sword, cutting a gash on the 
boy's head and another on his hand. Jackson carried the scars of this brutal treat- 
ment to his grave. 

In 1784 he began the study of law in Salisbury, North Carolina. Four years 
later he emigrated to Nashville, Tennessee, where he opened a law-office. In 1797 
he was elected United States Senator, but soon resigned the office, " partly," says 
Parton, " because he felt himself out of place in so slow and dignified a body, but 
chiefly for pecuniary reasons." He was again elected in 1823. 

During the War of 1812 Jackson was appointed a general in the regular army, 
and served the country with distinguished ability. When he fought the British, 



1829.] 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



241 



considered a western man, and a man of the people. His 
military services, and especially his victory over the British at 
New Orleans, 1 had made him famous 
throughout the United States. 

In character, Jackson was headstrong, 
absolutely honest, and utterly fearless. 
When he was roused, there was a flash 
in his gray eyes that startled one like 
the gleam of a suddenly drawn sword. 
His blunt speech and decided action 
made many bitter enemies, but he had 
also many devoted friends. They knew 
him to be a warm-hearted, true-hearted, high-minded man. 

260. President Jackson's "Political Revolution." — The new 

President began his administration with what his Secretary of 
the Treasury called " a great political revolution." The Presi- 
dent's friends demanded government offices. In a short time 
he turned out about two thousand men from their positions, 
and gave their places and salaries to those who had voted for 
him. Jackson believed the change would be an advantage to 
the country ; but such removals by wholesale had never been 
made before. During the forty years which had passed since 
the adoption of the Constitution, the six Presidents who had 
governed the country had dismissed only seventy-four 2 per- 
sons holding office, and of this small number five were removed 
because they had stolen public money. 

they found, to their cost, that he had not forgotten how they used him in the Revo- 
lution. He also gained great popularity with his men in his battles with the Indians, 
and his wonderful endurance of hardships got for him the affectionate nickname 
of " Old Hickory." 

In 1828 General Jackson (with John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina, for Vice- 
President) was elected President of the United States by the Democratic party, 
by a large majority over John Quincy Adams, the National Republican or Whig 
candidate. In 1832 he was again elected (Martin Van Buren of New York, Vice- 
President), over Henry Clay, the Whig candidate. 1 See Paragraph 233. 

2 Some recent authorities believe that about one hundred and forty persons were 
removed in all, and that Jefferson turned out nearly one hundred of that number. 




242 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1829-1831. 



261. Jefferson's Removal of Government Officers ; the " Spoils 
System." — Jefferson had removed more persons than any 
previous President. His object was to give each political 
party an equal share of offices. When he had made that divi- 
sion he said that he should ask only three questions respecting 
an applicant : "Is he honest ? Is he capable ? Is he faithful 
to the Constitution ? " If the answer was " Yes," that was 
enough. 

When Jackson became President he began, as we have seen, 
by making sweeping dismissals of the men who did not agree 
with him in politics. He filled their places with those — and 
those only — who voted as he thought right. In doing this 
he intended, as he said, to effect a great " reform " ; but his 
action established the "spoils system," 1 which Webster, Clay, 
Calhoun, Benton, and other eminent statesmen denounced. 

In fact, such a system seems to contradict sound business 
principles. If a bank should adopt it, and turn out the 
majority of its faithful officers and experienced clerks every 
few years only to put new and untried men in their places, we 
should say that it must fail — yes, we should go farther ; we 
should say it ought to fail. Many prominent men of all polit- 
ical parties think that the " spoils system " is just as great a 
mistake. They have labored in the past to free the Govern- 
ment from its influence, and they are determined to continue 
the good work. 

262. William Lloyd Garrison ; Dr. Channing ; the Anti-Slavery 
Movement. — On New Year's Day, 183 1, William Lloyd Garri- 
son, then a "poor, unlearned young man," 2 published in Boston 
the first number of a paper called the Liberator. Mr. Garrison 

1 Because, in 1832, Senator Marcy of New York declared that "to the victors 
belong the spoils" ; or, in other words, that the successful political party in an elec- 
tion have the right to make all they can out of it in the way of offices and salaries. 

2 See James Russell Lowell's poem " To W. L. Garrison,"' beginning, — 

" In a small chamber, friendless and unseen, 
Toiled o'er his types one poor, unlearned young man." 



1831.] 



WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON. 



243 



was its editor, owner, publisher, printer, and carrier. The 
Liberator demanded the " immediate and unconditional eman- 
cipation of every slave held in the United States." 

Mr. Garrison was resolved to free the negro, even if he had 
to destroy the Union to do it. 1 

The Southern planters believed the editor of the new paper 
had lost his reason ; most people at the North agreed with 
them. 2 Even many warm friends of the negro thought Mr. 
Garrison was wholly wrong in his methods. They felt as Dr. 
Channing did. That eminent man wrote to Daniel Webster, 
declaring that what we should say to the South Avas this : 
" We consider slavery as your calamity, not your crime ; and 
we will share with you the burden of putting an end to it." 3 

263. Insurrection of Slaves in Virginia ; Mr. Garrison mobbed 
in Boston. — It so happened that in the summer following the 
publication of the Liberator, a terrible negro insurrection broke 
out in Virginia. The slaves engaged in it massacred over 
sixty white men, women, and children. Many Southern people 
believed that Mr. Garrison's object was to stir up the negroes 

1 After laboring many years in the cause of emancipation. Mr. Garrison finally 
came to the conclusion that the Constitution of the United States upheld slavery, 
and that the dissolution of the Union, by depriving the South of the support of the 
North, would hasten the liberation of the slaves. In consequence of this conviction, 
he violently denounced the Constitution (in words taken from Isaiah xxviii. 15) as 
-a covenant with death and an agreement with hell." These words were then 
regularly printed at the top of the Liberator until the outbreak of the Civil War, 
when they were dropped. 

2 Mr. Garrison said that he found the prejudice and contempt of Northern men 
harder to deal with than that of the slaveholders. In an address to the public in the 
first number of the Liberator he used these words : " I am in earnest — I will not 
equivocate — I will not excuse — I will not retreat a single inch — and / will be 
heard.-'' See Life of W. L. Garrison, by his Children. 

3 See Dr. W. E. Channing's letter to Daniel Webster (Webster's Works). May 
14, 1828. Dr. Channing proposed that the United States should appropriate the 
money from the sale of the public land, buy the slaves from their owners, and set 
them free. Could that have been done, it would have saved us from four years 
of civil war. England bought her West India slaves, and freed them, in 1833, at a 
cost of one hundred million dollars. 



244 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1831. 



to rise and murder their masters. There was not a grain of 
truth in the belief, but it spread at the South and powerfully 
increased the excitement. 

In the North, Mr. Garrison's appeals in behalf of the free- 
dom of the blacks roused almost equal excitement. Gangs of 
" roughs " broke up meetings held to discuss emancipation, 
and on one occasion a howling mob dragged the editor of the 
Liberator through the streets of Boston with a rope round 
his body. It was with great difficulty that the police saved 
his life. 

These violent outbreaks were not made out of hatred to the 
negro, but out of fear that Mr. Garrison was putting the 
country in peril. Many thoughtful men who were opposed to 
slavery believed that, on the whole, it was better to save the 
Union with slavery than to deliberately destroy it for the sake 
of liberating the negro. Daniel Webster held that idea, and 
so, as we shall see later, did Abraham Lincoln. 

264. Formation of Abolition Societies ; Petition to Congress for 
Emancipation ; what John Quincy Adams did. — Mr. Garrison 
believed that he was right, and persisted in demanding the 
emancipation of the slaves, Union or no Union. His influ- 
ence spread. In a few years nearly two thousand societies 
had been formed in the North for the abolition of slavery. 

Then a flood of petitions began to pour into Congress, 
praying that the slaves held in the District of Columbia might 
be set free, and that the trade in slaves between the different 
Southern states might be stopped. 

Congress finally passed resolutions refusing to receive such 
petitions. John Quincy Adams, then a member of the House 
of Representatives, denounced these resolutions as "gag-rules," 
which forbade debate and were contrary to the Constitution. 1 

1 On the right of the people to petition the government, see Amendment to the 
Constitution, No. L, page xvi ; but compare the right of Congress to make rules 
for its proceedings, — Constitution, page viii, Section 5. 



1832.] END OF THE UNITED STATES BANK. 245 

He insisted on presenting every petition that was sent to him, 
and sometimes offered two hundred or more in a single day, 
amid cries of " Treason ! " and yells of " Put him out ! " 
From this period the discussion of slavery never ceased until 
the North and the South took up arms to settle it on the 
battle-field. 

265. The President puts an End to the United States Bank. — 

While the great question of emancipation was being hotly 
debated, the President was attacking the United States Bank. 1 
He believed, as did Senator Benton of Missouri, 2 that it was 
badly managed and unsafe. For these reasons he refused to 
sign a bill 3 (1832) to renew the right of the bank to continue 
business. This refusal put an end to its existence in a short 
time. The year following this action the President removed 
nearly ten million dollars of the public money which the gov- 
ernment had kept in the bank. This amount, with about 
thirty million dollars more, was deposited later (1836) in a 
number of small banks in the different states. Speculators 
borrowed large sums of this government money and used it to 
buy land ; their course excited others, and soon people all 
over the country were crazy with wild schemes for getting 
suddenly rich. 

266. South Carolina resists the Duty or Tax on Imported Goods. 

— The South was at this time strongly opposed to having 
heavy duties or taxes imposed on goods brought into the 

1 See Paragraph 202. The United States Bank obtained a new charter (or right 
to do business) in 1816, good for twenty years. Jackson refused to sign a bill granting 
it a charter to go on after 1836. 

2 Colonel Thomas H. Benton was one of the most decided opponents of the 
bank. He thought paper money was unsafe, and urged Congress to adopt gold and 
silver currency instead of bank bills. His able speeches on this subject of " hard 
money " got for him the nickname of " Old Bullion." 

3 Bill : a law proposed by Congress ; except in certain cases, it requires the 
President's signature to make it complete. When he returns a bill unsigned he is 
said to veto it. See the Constitution, page ix, Section 7. 



246 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1832. 



United States. The reason for this opposition was that the 
people of the South had never established manufactories in 
any number, and therefore had to buy their woollen and cotton 
cloth either from the Northern states, where large quantities 
were made, or from Europe. As labor was cheaper in Europe 
than in this country, the wealthy mill-owners in England could 
afford to make cloth, send it to the United States, and sell it 
at a much lower price than it could be made here. In order 
to prevent this, the manufacturers in the Northern states had 
obtained the passage of a law establishing a protective tariff ; 
that is, a heavy duty or tax levied on imported goods to pro- 
tect the American manufacturer, and enable him to sell the 
same articles cheaper than a merchant bringing in foreign 
goods could afford to sell them after paying the duty. 1 

1 From the outset a division of opinion existed in regard to the power of the 
government to levy duties. One party contended that, strictly interpreted, the 
Constitution did not give Congress authority to impose duties beyond what would 
be sufficient to defray the expenses of the government and furnish money for the 
payment of the national debt. This party demanded simply a Revenue Tariff. The 
opposite party held that the Constitution gave Congress the right to levy duties not 
only for revenue, but also to encourage the production of goods at home, as opposed 
to their purchase from foreign producers. This party advocated a Protective 
Tariff. 

The first tariff had its origin as follows : When, after the adoption of the Constitu- 
tion, the new government went into operation, Congress found the national treasury 
empty. The great question was how to obtain a revenue. Finally, after prolonged 
discussion, an act was passed (1789) which imposed a moderate duty on certain 
imported articles. The object of this tariff, as stated by the act, was " for the sup- 
port of the government, for the discharge of the debts of the United States, and the 
encouragement and protection of manufacturers." Later, after we had begun to 
manufacture goods quite largely, many people came to believe that we ought to 
impose a protective tariff which would levy a heavy tax on foreign goods, similar 
to those we were making, and thus encourage buyers to purchase those made here 
rather than pay a much higher price for the imported articles. Such a protective 
tariff was imposed in 1816, and again in 1824, 1828, 1832, and 1842. 

In 1846 England began to let in our products free, or nearly so. From that 
date until the Civil War, in 1861, we took off our protective duties, and levied only 
a small tax for revenue. During the war we again put on a very heavy tax, in order 
to raise all the money we could to carry on the war. Since peace was declared, 
efforts have been made (1 865-1 899) to reduce the tariff to a lower rate, by those who 
believe that free trade between nations is, in the end, for the advantage of all. 



JOHN C. CALHOUN. 



1832.] 



NULLIFICATION. 



247 



267. John C. Calhoun ; Nullification ; 1 Preparations for War. — 
John C. Calhoun 2 of South Carolina, who was then Vice- 
President, protested against this " Tariff of Abominations," 
as he called it. He asserted that it compelled the South to 
pay such a price for cloth and other goods that the people 
were constantly growing poorer, while the Northern manufac- 
turers, on the other hand, were getting rich at their expense. 
He therefore demanded free trade. To this the North an- 
swered that free trade would ruin the factory-owners and 
compel them to close their factories. Congress refused to 
abolish the protective tariff. Then the feeling of opposition 
grew so hot in South Carolina that the people declared through 
a state convention that, after February 1, 1833, they would not 
pay duties on goods imported into Charleston from Europe. 
They considered that every state had the right to refuse to 
obey a law which it believed to be contrary to the Constitu- 
tion. 3 This refusal was called mdlification. In Charleston 
preparations were made to resist the collection of the duty. 
Governor Hayne, of South Carolina, threatened that if the 
government used force, his state would secede or withdraw 
from the Union and declare itself independent. 

268. Webster's Reply to Hayne and Calhoun ; what we owe to 
Webster. — When, in the Senate of the United States, Gov- 
ernor Hayne (1830) boldly upheld the right of nullification, 

1 Nullification : the refusal of a state to obey a law enacted by Congress, on the 
ground that the law objected to is a violation of the Constitution. 

2 John C. Calhoun, born in Abbeville district, South Carolina, 1782 ; died 1850. 
Like Jackson, he was of Scotch-Irish descent. He entered Congress in 1810. He was 
elected Vice-President in 1824 and in 1828. In 1832 he resigned his office, and was 
chosen U.S. Senator. He was at first a supporter of a protective tariff, but later became 
a strong advocate of free trade. He was one of the few leading men who taught that 
slavery is " a positive good," an advantage alike to the negro and to his owner. His 
nature was " as great as it was pure." Webster, his chief political opponent, said of 
him that nothing " low or meanly selfish came near the head or the heart of Mr. 
Calhoun." 

3 This was the doctrine of "State-Rights" (see Paragraph 210) ; but the Con- 
stitution expressly established the Supreme Court to settle all such disputes. 



248 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1830-1833. 



Daniel Webster 1 replied to him, closing with the well-known 
words : " Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and insep- 
arable." Later, when Calhoun in the United States Senate 
defended the right of secession, Webster made a powerful 
speech, in which he declared that "there can be no secession 
without revolution." He saw that if a state is resolved to 
leave the Union, the national government, sword in hand, 
must insist that it shall remain in its place and obey the 
laws. 

We owe an immense debt to Webster's commanding elo- 
quence on this subject. In the remarkable series of speeches 
which he delivered at this period (1830— 1833), he made Ameri- 
cans realize the inestimable value and sacredness of the Union 
as they had never felt it before. When, thirty years later, the 
Civil War threatened to destroy the nation, the reverence for 
the Constitution and the Union with which that great states- 
man had inspired so many hearts, made thousands willing to 
die to save it. The North and the South are now one. All 
discord has passed away, and as brothers we can join in honor- 
ing the memory of Daniel Webster for his services to our com- 
mon country. 

269. Jackson's Fidelity to the Union ; his Orders to General 
Scott ; Henry Clay obtains a New Tariff. — President Jackson 
had the same feeling that Webster had of the necessity of pre- 
serving the Union. He did not like the tariff, but he was re- 
solved to enforce it so long as it remained law. He saw that 
what was called the doctrine of "State-Rights," that is, the 

1 Daniel Webster, born at Salisbury, New Hampshire, 1782 (see note 1, page 
98) ; died at his residence at Marshfield, near Boston, 1852. He graduated at 
Dartmouth College, and began the practice of law in 1805. In 18 12 he was elected 
to Congress, and again in 1822. From this time forward he was constantly in 
public life, as' representative, senator, or in the Cabinet. He was unquestionably 
the greatest orator this country has produced, and as a statesman he stood second 
to none. His defence of the Union in his second reply to Hayne, January 26-27, 1830, 
has been called " the most remarkable speech ever made in the American Congress." 
Webster's " Reply to Calhoun " was delivered February 16, 1833. 



DANIEL WEBSTER. 



1832-1837.] 



GROWTH OF THE COUNTRY. 



249 



so called right of a state to decide for itself when it would 
obey Congress and when it would not, was destructive of all 
government. 

The Union, said he, is at present like a bag of meal with 
both ends open. Whichever way you try to handle it, you 
will spill the meal. " I must tie the bag and save the country." 

So saying, the President ordered General Scott (1832) to 
go forthwith to Charleston and enforce the law. It was done, 
and the duties on imported goods in that city were collected 
as usual. 

A few months later (1833) Henry Clay, the "great peace- 
maker," succeeded in getting Congress to adopt a new tariff 
more acceptable to the South. The country could well afford 
to reduce its taxes on foreign goods, for we did not owe one 
dollar of public debt. Every claim against the government 
had been paid. 

270. Growth of the Country ; Extension of Railroads and Canals ; 
Use of Coal ; the Express System. — With the exception of a 
very destructive fire in New York City (1835), Jackson's presi- 
dency was a period of great prosperity, and of rapid growth 
for the entire country, but especially for the West. Canals 
had been opened, steamboats were running on the Great Lakes 
and the Western rivers, and the whistle of the locomotive was 
beginning to be heard beyond the Alleghanies. Arkansas and 
the rapidly growing territory of Michigan were admitted to the 
Union (1 836-1 837), making twenty-six states in all. 

Both hard and soft coal 1 had been found in immense quan- 
tities in Pennsylvania, and they were now coming into use for 
manufacturing as well as for other purposes. 

The increased activity of the country, in connection with 
steamboats and railroads, gave rise to a new enterprise. A 

1 Hard or anthracite coal was not discovered until 1790. The first load taken to 
Philadelphia, in 1803, was used as stone to mend roads with. This bed of Penn- 
sylvania hard coal has been worth more to the country than all the gold mines of 
California. 



250 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1832. 



young man named Harnden 1 conceived the plan of making a 
business of carrying parcels between Boston and New York, 
and shortly after (1839) began it. At first a small hand-bag 

. • — — 1 was sufficient to hold all the 

articles sent. In that humble 
way he laid the foundation of 
the American express system, 
which now extends to every 
town of the United States, and 
employs millions of money and 
an army of men to do its work. 

271. Indian Wars ; Growth of 
the West; Chicago. — The in- 

Chicago in 1833. creased growth of the country 

alarmed Black Hawk, a famous Indian chief at the West, and 
he (1832), at the head of a large body of Indians, attempted 
to prevent emigrants from taking possession of public lands 
in the state of Illinois and the 
territories of Iowa and Wis- 
consin. He was defeated and 
driven beyond the Mississippi. 
The removal of the Indians 
beyond that river greatly en- 
couraged emigration to the 
Western states and territories. 

Shortly after this a second 
Seminole 2 war began (1835) in 
Florida. The Indians were led 
by Osceola, a celebrated chief, 
who had been badly treated by the whites. The war lasted 

1 William Frederick Harnden was born in Reading, Massachusetts, in 1813; died 
1845. On his monument, erected at Mount Auburn cemetery, near Boston, by the 
" Express Companies of the United States," he is called the u Founder of the Express 
Business in America." 

2 On the Seminoles see Paragraph 238. 





1832-1835.] AMERICAN ART, BOOKS, AND NEWSPAPERS. 25 I 



nearly seven years. The Indians were defeated by Colonel 
Zachary Taylor, and were finally conquered, and, all but a 
few, sent west of the Mississippi by General Worth. The war 
cost nearly $40,000,000. 

On the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan stood Fort 
Dearborn. It was garrisoned by a small number of soldiers, 
and around the fort a dozen white settlers, with their families, 
had built as many rude wooden houses. Two years later (1833), 
the little settlement took the name of Chicago. 1 It had then 
grown to be a town of between five and six hundred inhab- 
itants, and some of its people were bold enough to think that 
it might grow to be still larger. To-day the city has more 
than a million of inhabitants, and stands the great metropolis 
of the Northwest. 

272. American Art, Books, and Newspapers. — America had al- 
ready produced five eminent painters — West, Copley, Stuart, 2 
Trumbull, 3 and Allston. 4 We also had three noted writers. 
They were Cooper, the novelist, who wrote exciting tales of 
life on the sea and in the wilderness ; Bryant, our first great 
poet ; and Washington Irving, the author of " Rip Van Winkle " 
and of scores more of delightful stories. 

But when Jackson was first elected, a book had just been 
published (1828) in this country which was in one respect 
more remarkable than any that had yet appeared, for it con- 
tained the whole English language. 5 This was Webster's Dic- 

1 Chicago : an Indian name originally given to the Chicago River. It is supposed 
to be the name of the god of thunder ; but on this point authorities differ. 

2 See Stuart's portrait of Washington (frontispiece). 

3 Thomas Cole was anotner noted artist of a somewhat later period, but he was 
not an American by birth. 

4 Born in South Carolina, 1779, died m Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1843. 

5 The best English dictionary before Webster's was Johnson's, first published in 
London in 1755. It had not really been revised for seventy years, and was very un- 
satisfactory to Americans, since it did not contain many familiar American words, 
such as " congress " (in the sense of a national legislature), " savings-bank," "prairie," 
and hundreds of others. Webster thought that America had as good a right to coin 
new words as England had. He accordingly included these words in his dictionary ; 
in his definitions he was generally far superior to Johnson. 



252 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1833. 

tionary, by Noah Webster of Connecticut. It had cost the 
author and compiler nearly twenty years of almost continuous 
labor, and it was destined to make his name and work known 
in every schoolhouse of the United States. 

Following Webster came the poets Whittier, Longfellow, 
Holmes, Lowell, and Poe ; Emerson, with his wonderful 
essays on nature ; Hawthorne, with his stories of New Eng- 
land ; Audubon, with his magnificent work on the " Birds of 
America " ; 1 Bancroft, with his history of the United States, 
followed by the historians Prescott, Motley, and Parkman. It 
was the beginning of American literature. 2 

About the same time (1833) the first cheap newspaper ever 
published, which sold for one cent, 3 appeared in New York. 
From that time forward the poorest man could afford to carry 
home in his pocket at night a daily history of the world's 
doings. 

273. Summary. — ■ Six important events marked the admin- 
istration of Andrew Jackson. They were : 1. The beginning 
of the system of removals from government offices for political 
reasons ; 2. The commencement of the anti-slavery movement 
by William Lloyd Garrison ; 3. The overthrow of the United 
States Bank; 4. The " nullification " of acts of Congress by 
South Carolina ; 5. Indian wars in the West and South ; 6. 
The rise of American literature and of cheap newspapers. 

Martin Van Buren. 4 / 

274. Van Buren' s Administration (Eighth President, One Term, 
1837-1841); Business Failures; Financial Panic. — In his fare- 

1 Audubon (Aw'du-bon), born in Louisiana, 1780. 

2 For interesting examples of poems connected with American history, see Whit- 
tier's " Laus Deo " and " Our State," Longfellow's " Paul Revere's Ride," Holmes's 
" Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill," Lowell's " Present Crisis," Emerson's " Con- 
cord Hymn," and Bryant's " Song of Marion's Men." 

3 The New York Daily Sun, 1833. 

4 Martin Van Buren was born in New York in 1782 ; died in 1862. He was United 
States Senator from 1821-1828; governor of New York later, and Secretary of State 



1837.] STOPPAGE OF TRADE. 2^7, 

well address, President Jackson had said, " I leave this great 
people prosperous and happy." But Mr. Van Buren had 
scarcely entered upon the duties of his office, in 1837, when 
a large business house in New Orleans failed. It was the 
beginning of a panic 1 in trade and money matters which swept 
over the country like the waters of a destroying flood. 

In ten days, one hundred merchants in New York City had 
lost everything; and within two months, the total business 
failures in that city reached the enormous sum of one hun- 
dred millions of dollars. Next, the banks began to fail; and 
the difficulty of getting gold or silver became so great that 
even the United States government had to pay the army and 
navy in paper money, which, if it chanced to be good to-day, 
might be worthless to-morrow. John Quincy Adams declared 
that, " without a dollar of national debt, we are in the midst 
of national bankruptcy." 

275. Stoppage of Trade; Distress among Workmen; Failures of 
States ; Causes of the Panic. — Soon factories and mills stopped 
running, and nearly all trade came to a standstill. Thousands 
of workmen were suddenly thrown out of employment, and 
saw no way of earning bread for themselves and their families. 

Many states had borrowed large sums of money in Europe 
for the purpose of building roads, canals, and railways. In 
1830, the total debt of this kind was only thirteen millions ; 
in seven years it had risen to nearly two hundred millions. 
It was exceedingly difficult, if not impossible for a number 

under Jackson, 1829-1831. In 1836 he was elected President (R. M. Johnson of Ken- 
tucky, Vice-President) by the Democratic party, over General W. H. Harrison, the 
Whig candidate. 

1 Panic : sudden fright or alarm — particularly alarm without any real cause. 
Such periods occur in business from time to time, especially after several years of 
great activity and speculation ending in reckless investments and loss. The chief 
cause of a panic appears to be want of confidence. When men cease to put trust in 
each other, then the trouble begins. There may be as much money in the country as 
before ; but it has shifted into the hands of a few, and they are afraid to use it 
themselves, or to let others use it. The consequence is that prices fall, business stops 
in great measure, and much distress is produced. 



2 54 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1837. 



of these states 1 to raise money to meet the interest; and one 
positively refused to pay anything whatever, whether interest 
or principal. 

There were three chief causes for this desperate state of 
things, i. After the United States Bank 2 had ceased to 
exist, a great number of worthless banks sprang into exist- 
ence ; 2. the ease with which people could borrow money 
led to wide speculation in land ; men eagerly bought town 
lots at enormous prices, in the backwoods of Maine; and 
speculated in property in so-called Western " cities " that had 
no existence except on paper, or that were six feet under 
water ; 3. the government suddenly called in the gold and 
silver which it had deposited in certain state banks, — nick- 
named "pet banks," — and at the same time it refused to 
sell any more public land except for hard cash. This sud- 
denly checked the fever of speculation, and made every one 
anxious to get coin at a time when coin was not to be had. 
The result was, property of all kinds fell in price, men could 
neither collect debts nor pay them, the banks could not 
redeem 3 their bills, and the crash came. 4 After a time con- 
fidence began to be restored, business sprang up, and a new 
period of prosperity commenced. 

276. The Government establishes an Independent Treasury. — 

This panic in business had at least one good result. Up to 
this time, the national government had never taken entire 

1 Seven states — Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, 
Pennsylvania, and Florida, then a territory, — suspended payment of interest. 
Mississippi repudiated her entire debt on the ground that it had been incurred in 
violation of the state constitution. Sydney Smith's " Letters on American Debts," 
Dickens's " American Notes " and " Martin Chuzzlewit " show how sore the English 
creditors felt about these failures. 2 See Paragraph 265. 

3 A bank is said to redeem its bills when, on demand, it pays gold or silver for 
them. If it cannot do this, its bills are worthless. 

4 During this period a rebellion broke out in Canada, and many Americans living 
on the border were eager to take part in it, with the hope of annexing Canada to the 
United States. The President's proclamation of neutrality compelled them to keep 
quiet. 



1840.] 



RISE OF THE MORMONS. 



255 



charge of its own money, but had let one or more banks have 
the care of it. The disastrous failure of these " pet banks " 
taught Congress a lesson ; and the United States now estab- 
lished (1840) an independent treasury 1 at Washington, with 
branches, known as sub-treasuries, 2 in the chief cities. In 
this way the government was protected against loss. We 
owe this excellent system mainly to President Van Buren. 

277. Rise of the Mormons; Nauvoo. — Toward the close of 
Van Buren's presidency, a new religious community, called 
Mormons, settled in Illinois. Its founder was Joseph Smith, 
a native of Vermont. 3 While living in New York he declared 
that an angel from heaven gave him a number of golden 
plates — like sheets of tin — on which a new scripture was 
written called the "Book of Mormon." 4 

Smith went to Ohio, to Missouri, and, finally, to Illinois, 
where he and his followers — the "Latter Day Saints" or 
Mormons — built the "Holy City" of Nauvoo 5 on the banks 
of the Mississippi. There he stated that he received a revela- 

1 The independent treasury system was, however, not fully and finally established 
until 1846. During the Civil War (1863) a great many new banks were created. 
These give security (by the deposit of government bonds at W ashington) to the 
United States for the bills they issue ; for this reason they are called National Banks. 
The government has the right to deposit public money (except that received for 
duties) in these banks, as well as in the treasury. 

2 Sub-treasuries : from the Latin word sub, meaning under ; hence, subordinate, 
or smaller treasuries. The chief treasury is in the Treasury Building at Washing- 
ton; the sub-treasuries are in (1) New York, (2) Philadelphia, (3) Chicago, (4) Bos- 
ton, (5) St. Louis, (6) Cincinnati, (7) San Francisco, (8) New Orleans, (9) Baltimore. 

3 Joseph Smith was born in 1805 in Sharon, Vt., and was murdered at Carthage, 
111., in 1844. While living near Manchester, N. Y., in 1827, he states that the angel 
gave him the golden plates of the Book of Mormon. The plates, he says, were writ- 
ten in an unknown tongue, but he alleges that the angel provided him with a peculiar 
kind of glasses by which to read and translate them. The Mormons declare, "We 
believe the Bible to be the Word of God, so far as it is translated correctly ; we also 
believe the Book of Mormon to be the Word of God." 

4 Mormon : a name derived from that of the alleged writer of the Book of Mor- 
mon, a Jew, who, as the Mormons believe, lived in this country about a thousand 
years before Columbus discovered it. 

5 Nauvoo : meaning the Beautiful City ; it had, it is said, no idlers and no drunkards. 



256 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1844-1847. 



tion from God declaring that every true Mormon marriage 
would last forever, and sanctioning the marriage of more 
than one wife by those deemed worthy. Those, said he, 1 
who keep this law will, in the next world, "pass by the 
angels " in glory. 2 

Shortly after this, several persons who had belonged to the 
Mormons began publishing a paper in Nauvoo, in which they 
accused Smith of leading an evil life. Smith broke up the 
paper. For this he was arrested, and while in jail at Carthage 
(1844) was shot by a mob who had no faith in him or his 
religion. 

278. Emigration of the Mormons to Utah; what they have 
accomplished there. — Brigham Young of Vermont — a man as 
keen-sighted in the things of this world as it was said Smith 
had been in those of the other — now became leader of the 
Mormons ; but the people round Nauvoo forced the "Saints" 
to leave, and they crossed the Mississippi. In 1847 Young 
started for the far west, and, with about a hundred and fifty 
followers, reached Salt Lake, in what is now Utah. Later, he 
led a much larger number of Mormon emigrants to the same 
place. It was a journey of fifteen hundred miles through the 
wilderness. The country bordering on the lake was a desert. 
The hunters of that desolate region predicted that the Mor- 
mons would starve. But Young saw what could be done to 
prevent that. He set his company to work digging ditches 
to bring water from the mountains; every street in the village 
had two of these ditches running through the length of it, 
one on each side. The abundant supply of water soon 
made the dead, dry soil green with waving crops of wheat 
and corn. Industry transformed the desert into a garden. 

1 But a very small number of Mormons have ever married more than one wife. 

2 This doctrine (see the Mormon " Book of Covenants and Doctrine") was not 
fully published to the world until 1852. One branch of the Mormons — the " Joseph- 
ites " — deny that Smith ever taught the doctrine, but say it was invented by 
Brigham Young and others. 



1840-1850.] EMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES. 257 



Since then the Mormons have prospered and grown strong. 
Many non-Mormons, also, attracted by climate and resources, 
have taken residence there. The village has become a city 
and the territory a state with a population of about 2 5o,ooo. 1 

279. Emigration to the United States ; Ocean Steamships ; 
Growth of the West. — While the Mormons were getting a 
foothold in the far West, an immense emigration from Eu- 
rope to the United States had begun. A regular line of 
steamships was established between Liverpool and Boston 
in 1840, 2 and, soon after, similar communication was estab- 
lished with New York. By means of these steamers, and of 
lines of passenger vessels, emigrants now began to pour in at the 
rate of over three thousand a week ; and in the course of the 
next ten years (1840-1850) nearly two millions had come to 
settle here — or almost twice as many as had landed in this 
country during the preceding forty years. Since then the 
stream of emigrants has never ceased, and the whole number 
who have thus become American citizens is estimated at 
nearly twenty millions. 3 

A very large part of these emigrants went West, where the 
rich prairie lands could be converted into farms with but 
little labor. Then again that comparatively level and treeless 
region stimulated the rapid building of railroads, which did a 
great work in helping to fill the country with settlers. 

1 In 1887 the Edmunds-Tucker law was passed, declaring the property of the 
Mormon church forfeited to the United States for violation of the laws of Congress 
against polygamy. The Supreme Court in 1890 sustained the law of 1887; the 
church then declared that it would obey the United States law in relation to plural 
marriages. Utah adopted a constitution prohibiting polygamy and entered the 
Union in 1896. 

2 The first English steamships which came here were the Sirhis and the Great 
Western ; they arrived at New York in 1838. Sir Samuel Cunard, son of Abraham 
Cunard, a Philadelphia merchant, established the first regular line (between Liverpool 
and Boston) in 1840. 

3 The Irish famine in 1845-6 was one cause of this unusual increase of emigra- 
tion. Ireland. Germany, and England sent the greatest number of emigrants. 



258 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1840-1841. 



280. Summary. — This period began with a disastrous panic 
in trade by which great numbers were ruined ; it was followed 
by the establishment by the government of the independent 
treasury system; then came the movement of the Mormons 
to Utah, and vastly increased emigration from Europe to the 
United States. 

William Henry Harrison and John Tyler. 

281. Harrison and Tyler's Administrations (Ninth and Tenth 
Presidents, One Term, 1841-1845); how Harrison was elected; 
his Death. — -General Harrison, 1 "the hero of Tippecanoe," 
was elected President amidst the wildest excitement. The 
Democrats had carried the day for forty years; 2 now their 
opponents, the Whigs, 3 were to be victors. Harrison was then 
living on his farm, in a clearing on the banks of the Ohio. 
He was popularly known as "the Log-Cabin candidate." The 
farmers of the West gathered to his support with a will. They 
had monster out-door meetings, and processions miles long, 4 
in which a log-cabin on wheels was always a conspicuous ob- 
ject, with its live coon fastened on the roof, and its barrel of 

1 William Henry Harrison was born in Virginia in 1773. His father, Benjamin 
Harrison, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. From 1801 to 
18 13 Harrison was governor of what was then the territory of Indiana. In 181 1 he 
defeated the Indians in a great battle at Tippecanoe, Indiana (see Paragraph 225). 
During the war of 1812 he was appointed a major-general in the regular army. Later, 
he returned to his farm at North Bend, on the Ohio, near Cincinnati. In 1840 he was 
elected President (John Tyler of Virginia, Vice-President) by the Whig party, by an 
immense majority over Van Buren, the Democratic candidate. 

2 Since the election of Jefferson in 1800. 

3 The W'higs wished (1) to have the government carry on the building of canals, 
roads, and other internal improvements ; (2) to protect manufactures by a high tariff ; 
(3) to re-establish the United States Bank, and part of the Whigs wished to restrict 
the extension of slavery. The Democrats held that each state should make its own 
improvements ; that free trade was better than protection ; that an independent 
treasury was better than a United States bank ; and that the slavery question should 
be left to the people of the different states. 

4 This was the beginning of our modern presidential " campaigns," with their 
bands of music and torchlight processions. 



1840-1842.] 



THE DORR REBELLION. 



259 



hard cider standing handy by the open door. The enthusiasm 
increased more and more as election day drew near ; the rous- 
ing song of " Tippecanoe and Tyler too " stirred the blood of 
every true Whig ; and, with shouts of exultation, the Whigs 
triumphed, and the occupant of the Ohio log-cabin entered 
the White House at Washington. 

A month later, President Harrison died, and the joy of his 
friends was suddenly changed into mourning. Vice-President 
Tyler, who was practically a Democrat, 1 now became Presi- 
dent; 2 and he and the Whig Congress were soon quarrelling 
over political questions about which there was no chance of 
their coming to any agreement. 

282. The Dorr Rebellion ; the Webster-Ashburton Treaty ; the 
Anti-Renters. — In Rhode Island, the right to vote was con- 
fined to persons holding real estate, and to their eldest sons. 
Newport, where there were many land-holders, had six repre- 
sentatives in the state legislature, while Providence, with a 
population nearly three times as great, had only four. The 
party in favor of reform finally framed a new constitution, and 
elected (1842) Thomas W. Dorr for governor. The opposite, 
or state government party, headed by Governor King, denied 
Dorr's right to hold office. Both sides took up arms, but no 
blood was spilt, and nobody was even hurt. Dorr was arrested 
and thrown into prison, but was released a few years later, 
and lived to see his party successful" in the reform they had 
attempted. 

In the summer of 1842, Daniel Webster, representing the 
United States, and Lord Ashburton, representing Great Brit- 
ain, settled the question of the boundary between Maine and 
Canada, by an agreement known as the Webster-Ashburton 

1 Tyler was in most respects a Democrat, though he had acted, to some extent, 
with the Whigs. The Whigs nominated him to the Vice-Presidency in order to 
secure Southern votes, and thus make sure of electing Harrison. 

2 In case of the death of the President, the Constitution provides that the Vice- 
President shall succeed him. See the Constitution, page xii ; see, too, page 369. 



260 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1844. 



Treaty. 1 The dispute in regard to the true line between the 
two countries had been very bitter, and threatened to bring 
on war ; for this reason the friendly settlement of the contro- 
versy was of the greatest advantage to both England and 
America. 2 

In New York, the tenants of the Van Rensselaer family, on 
the Hudson, 3 refused to pay rent for their farms, on the ground 
that the Revolution had swept away the old Dutch methods 
of letting land. It became necessary to call out a military 
force to protect the sheriff in his attempts to collect the rents ; 
finally, a political party was formed (1843), favoring the anti- 
renters, 4 and a change was made (1846) in the state constitu- 
tion for their benefit. 

283. The Electric Telegraph; Dr. Morton's Discovery. — In 

the spring of 1844, travellers from Baltimore to Washington 
saw a force of men engaged in putting up several lines of cop- 
per wire on a row of lofty poles extending between the two 
cities. It was the first telegraph line erected in the United 
States, or in the world. After four years of weary waiting, 
Professor Morse 5 had at length got a grant of thirty thousand 
dollars from Congress, for the purpose of proving that a mes- 
sage could be sent by electricity a distance of forty miles ! 
On the morning of May 24, 1844, Professor Morse took his 

1 During the progress of the negotiation of the treaty, Mr. Webster practically 
settled another question of equal importance, by his formal declaration to Lord 
Ashburton, that in future the United States would insist that our flag should protect 
our vessels against the so-called " right of search," on the part of Great Britain ; and 
that any attempt to make such search would be considered by us a reason for war. 
See further on this treaty, page 265, note 1. 

2 See " Table of Boundaries." 3 See Paragraph 63. 

4 Anti-renters : from the Latin word anti, against ; hence, those opposed to paying 
the rent demanded by the proprietors of the land. 

5 Samuel F. B. Morse was born in Charlestown, Mass., 1791 ; died in New York, 
1872. He became an artist, and in 1830 was elected Professor of the Literature of 
the Arts of Design in the University of the City of New York. He conceived the 
idea of the electric telegraph in 1832, and from that time worked on it until it was 
successfully completed. He received very important help from Mr. Alfred Vail of N. J. 



1844-1846.] THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. 



26l 



seat at the telegraphic instrument placed in the Supreme Court 
Room in the Capitol. Many of the chief officers of the gov- 
ernment were present. The professor pressed the key of the 
instrument with his finger. In an instant, the waiting oper- 
ator at Baltimore received the message, and it was sent back 
to the Capitol. Here it is : 

What hath GOD 
1 

w r u g h t. 

In a minute of time these words had traversed a circuit of 
eighty miles. When they were read in the Court Room a thrill 
of awe ran through those who reverently listened ; it seemed as 
though the finger of God, not man, had written the message. 2 

In 187 1, at a celebration held in New York in honor of 
Professor Morse, the original instrument invented by him was 
exhibited, connected, at that moment, by wire, with every one 
of the ten thousand instruments then in use in this country. 
At a signal, a message from the inventor was sent vibrating 
throughout the United States, and was simultaneously read in 
every city and in most towns of the republic, from New York 
to New Orleans, from New Orleans to San Francisco. 

Thought had conquered space ; it was to make its next 
conquest in a wholly different direction. While Professor 
Morse was building his experimental line between Washing- 
ton and Baltimore, Dr. William T. G. Morton of Boston was 
endeavoring to produce artificial sleep by the breathing of the 
vapor of ether. He believed that, if successful, all suffering 
under the surgeon's knife would be at an end. He did suc- 

1 The characters over the printed letters represent the letters of the telegraphic 
alphabet. The words are quoted from the Bible ; Numbers xxiii. 23. 

2 Before the completion of the first line of telegraph, Professor Morse wrote to a 
friend (1843) : " Telegraphic communication may with certainty be established across 
the Atlantic Ocean. Startling as this may now seem, I am confident the time will 
come when this project will be realized." He lived to see it accomplished in 1858, 
and permanently in 1866. 



262 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1845. 



ceed ; and shortly after (1846), the great fact was made known 
to the world by tests made at the Massachusetts Hospital in 
Boston. As the inscription on Dr. Morton's monument truth- 
fully declares : " Before that discovery, surgery was agony ; 
since, science has controlled pain." 1 

284. Annexation of Texas. — The great political question of 
the times was the admission of Texas. Many years before 
this period, Stephen F. Austin, General Sam Houston, with 
other Americans, had settled in that country, — then a part of 
Mexico, — and had finally, by force of arms, made it an inde- 
pendent republic. That republic now asked to be annexed to 
the United States. A powerful party at the South was anxious 
to obtain it for the purpose of making a number of new slave 
states, and thus maintaining their influence in Congress. 2 The 
Anti-Slavery party at the North strongly opposed the annexa- 
tion; 3 but Congress, after much debate, decided to make it. 
Thus, in the spring of 1845, we obtained a territory so vast 
that, as Daniel Webster said, a bird could not fly over it in a 
week — a territory large enough to make nearly five countries 
the size of England, or more than that number of states, each 
larger than New York. 

1 Dr. Horace Wells, of Hartford, began to make use (1844) of nitrous oxide gas as 
an anaesthetic in the extraction of teeth. Between 1820 and 1846 there were invented 
in this country : 1. Blanchard's Eccentric Lathe for turning gun-stocks and other 
irregular forms ; 2. McCormick's Reaper and Mower ; Hussey's Reaper and Mower ; 
3. Colt's Revolver ; 4. Ericsson's Screw Propeller ; 5. Goodyear's Hard Rubber 
goods; 6. Hoe's Steam Printing-Press ; 7. Howe's Sewing- Machine. 

The following inventions came from abroad : 1. Knitting Machines. 2. Planing 
Machines (greatly improved in 1828 by Woodworth). 3. Friction Matches, 1836 
(gas had been introduced in 1822). 4. The Steam Fire Engine, 1841, but not brought 
into practical use until much later. 5. The Daguerreotype and Photograph, 1843. 
6. The Diving-Dress, 1843. On earlier American inventions, see page 201, note 1. 

2 By the Missouri Compromise (see Paragraph 243) slavery could not be extended 
west of the Mississippi, outside of Missouri, north of 36 30' (the southern boundary 
of Missouri). Unless, therefore, the South got more territory annexed southwest of 
the Mississippi, the North would soon have the chief power in Congress. 

3 James Russell Lowell's fine poem, " The Present Crisis," expresses the feeling of 
the Anti-Slavery party at this time. 



1845.] 



polk's administration. 



263 



285. Summary. — The principal events of the Harrison and 
Tyler administrations were : (1) The death of the President; 
followed (2) by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty ; (3) the Dorr 
Rebellion ; (4) the opening of the first line of electric tele- 
graph in the United States or the world ; (5) the use of ether 
in surgery ; and (6) the annexation of Texas. 

James K. Polk. 

286. Polk's Administration (Eleventh President, One Term, 
1845-1849); the Question of the Possession of Oregon. — Con- 
gress had decided to annex Texas; 1 and, when Mr. Polk 2 
entered office, the first question was, what should be done 
about Oregon. 3 We claimed the whole country west of the 
Rocky Mountains, north of California (then a part of Mexico), 
to Alaska ; that is, from parallel 42 to 54° 40'. Our claim 
rested on: 1. Gray's discovery of the Columbia 4 (1792); 
2. Lewis and Clarke's exploration (1805-1806); 3. Settlements 
begun by Astor (181 1); 4. Treaty with Spain (1819). But 
England insisted that the northern part of Oregon, including 
the Columbia River, belonged to her ; and the Hudson Bay 
Company hoped that the whole region would be kept a wil- 
derness where they could hunt wild animals for the fur trade. 
Since 18 18 Great Britain and the United States had held the 
disputed territory by a treaty of joint occupation. 

287. Dr. Whitman's Journey to Oregon. — It is quite prob- 
able that the English might have got it, had it not been for 
the energy of Dr. Marcus Whitman of New York, who had 
gone as a missionary to Walla Walla 5 nine years before. He 

1 See Paragraph 284. 

2 James K. Polk (pronounced Poke) was born in North Carolina. 1795 > died, 1849. 
He emigrated with his father to Tennessee in 1806 ; and was elected governor of that 
state in 1839. In 1844 he was elected President by the Democrats (George M. Dallas 
of Pennsylvania, Vice-President), over Henry Clay, the Whig candidate. 

3 See Paragraphs 216, 238. 4 See note 3, on page 210. 
5 Walla Walla : now in the state of Washington, near the Oregon boundary. 



264 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1842-1846. 

went out with a wagon in which he took his bride. The Eng- 
lish, who were alarmed at this resolute attempt of Dr. Whit- 
man's to open up a passage on wheels to the country they 
coveted, told him that his wagon would be broken to splinters 
in crossing the mountains. Whitman and his young wife per- 
sisted in going on, and after many formidable upsets and 
breakages they finally reached their destination, though the 
wagon had to be left at Fort Boise, 1 and brought on later. 
The Indians, who had never seen a wagon before, looked on 
in admiration; they called it " chick-chick-shani-le-kai-kash," 
because, said they, it used to go " chick-chick " over the soft 
grass, but "kai-kash!" when it struck the rocks. 

288. Dr. Whitman's Journey to Washington ; how we got Ore- 
gon ; the Treaty. — After a number of years' residence in Ore- 
gon, Dr. Whitman saw that the only way to prevent the English 
from getting possession was to form a settlement of American 
emigrants. There was no time to be lost. In the autumn of 
1842, the doctor started on a journey of four thousand miles 
— most of the way on horseback — to Washington. His suf- 
ferings on the way were terrible ; he had to face winter storms 
in the mountains, the terrors of starvation and of attacks from 
Indians. Several times he nearly perished from cold and hun- 
ger ; but he kept on, and in five months reached the National 
Capitol. He succeeded in proving to Congress that Oregon 
was not the rough, inhospitable, inaccessible country it was 
supposed to be. When he returned (1843), he went as guide 
and leader of a train of two hundred emigrant families bound 
with their wagons for the valley of the Columbia River. Others 
followed, from that day on ; and by the time that Polk became 
President we had such a strong hold on the territory that the 
cry in 1846 was, "The British must go" — "The whole of 
Oregon, or none" — "Fifty-four-forty, or fight!" 2 But later 

1 Now Boise (Boi'ze) City, Idaho. 

2 In other words, we insisted that the British must give up the entire country 
below 54 40', or fight. Our claim to the territory, through Captain Gray's discovery 



1846.] 



THE MEXICAN WAR. 



265 



in the same year (1846) the United States and Great Britain 
made a treaty by which they agreed to divide the country 
between them. We took the portion between the boundary 
of upper Mexico (now Cali-' 
fornia), or 42 °, and the 
parallel of 49 north, in- 
cluding the Columbia 
River ; the English took 
the remainder, from 49 °, 1 
to Alaska. Our part in- 
cluded what is now the 
state of Oregon, with 
Washington and Idaho — 
a territory so immense that 
if a map of it be placed on 

that of the eastern coast, it would reach from New York to 
Florida, and extend westward nearly to the Tennessee River, 
covering in all about two hundred and fifty-five thousand 
square miles. 







^ H ^ ^ ■ 




/:/ . ' ' 

TREATYTTZi \ £ 

Of 1846 r J ; 


K " ^ 


ww 




WW/ 


_ oj - / , !U> 


ill 





289. The Mexican War ; Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma. — But though the Oregon Treaty settled the fact that 
we should not fight with Great Britain, yet we were soon at 
war with our next-door neighbor, the feeble republic of Mexico. 
Texas had been admitted as a state (1845), but the western 
boundary was a matter of dispute. Texas insisted that the 
line was at the Rio Grande 2 River ; Mexico denied this, and 

of the Columbia River, Lewis and Clarke's expedition (see Paragraphs 216; 238, 
note 5), settlements, and Spanish Treaty, i8iq, was better than that of the English. 

1 By the Webster-Ashburton Treaty (see Paragraph 282 and Table of Boundaries) 
the boundary line west, between the Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, and the Rocky 
Mountains, was fixed at the forty-ninth parallel (as by treaty of 1818). The treaty 
of 1846 extended that line through to the Pacific. The boundary is marked by mounds, 
heaps of stones, posts, and cast-iron pillars ; the pillars are placed a mile apart, 

2 Rio Grande (Spanish pronunciation, Ree'o Gran'day ; but it is better to 
pronounce it as English). Texas also claimed an immense territory on the North- 
west, extending to the forty-second parallel. 



266 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1846. 



declared that it was on the Nueces 1 River, about a hundred 
miles east of the Rio Grande. 

The President commanded General Taylor to seize the strip 
of land between the rivers. To quote General Grant's words, 
our troops were sent there "to provoke a fight." 3 Mexico 
was weak, but not cowardly. The 
Mexican government ordered Taylor 
to leave the eastern bank of the Rio 
Grande, where he held Fort Brown. 
He refused, and the Mexicans crossed 
the river (April 23, 1846), and shed the 
first blood. 3 Soon after, General Tay- 
lor — or "Old Rough and Ready," as 
his men called him — gained the victory 
in the battle of Palo Alto (May 8, 1846) ; 4 
and the next day (May 9), that of Resaca de la Palma. 5 The 
Mexicans now retreated across the Rio Grande, and Taylor fol- 
lowed them, and took possession of the town of Matamoras. 6 

290. Congress declares War; Battles of Monterey and Buena 
Vista ; Conquest of California and New Mexico. — Congress now 
(May 13, 1846) declared war against Mexico, and thousands 
of volunteers, mainly from the Southern and Southwestern 
States, enlisted to fight against her. 

In the autumn (September 24, 1846) General Taylor attacked 
the Mexicans at Monterey, and took the town after a desperate 
battle of four days. 7 Early the next year, Santa Anna, the 

1 Nueces (Nwa'ses ; but pronounce as in English). 

2 See " Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant," I. 68. 

3 The blood was shed on territory claimed by Mexico ; but the President's 
message stated that it had been spilt on " our own territory." Abraham Lincoln, 
then in Congress, demanded, in a series of resolutions, known as the " Spot " reso- 
lutions, to be informed where the exact " spot " of this bloodshed was, and whether 
it had not been provoked by a body of armed Americans sent there by order of 
our government. 4 Palo Alto (Pah'lo Al'to, or High Trees). 

5 Resaca de la Palma (Ra-sah'ka da-lah Pal'mah, the Ravine of the Palm tree). 

6 Matamoras (Mat'a-mo'ras). 

7 See Hoffman's poem of " Monterey " in " Heroic Ballads," published by Ginn & Co. 




1847.] 



THE MEXICAN WAR. 



267 



Mexican president and commander-in-chief, led a force of 
twenty thousand men against Taylor, who had only about a 
fourth of that number. The battle was fought at Buena Vista, 1 
in the mountains (February 23, 1847). ^ e na -d the advan- 
tage of position ; and, after an all day's fight, the Mexicans 
retreated. Among the 
Southern officers, Colonel 
Jefferson Davis of Mis- 
sissippi particularly dis- 
tinguished himself, and 
was highly commended 
by General Taylor. 

This victory gave us 
possession of Northeast- 
ern Mexico, and won for General Taylor, who here fought his 
last battle, 2 the presidency of the United States two years 
later. Meanwhile (1846) an American fleet with the help of 
Colonel Fre'mont had conquered California ; and General 
Kearney had seized Santa Fe, and with it the territory now 
called New Mexico. 

291. General Scott sent to Mexico; he takes Vera Cruz; Vic- 
tory of Cerro Gordo. — General Scott had now been ordered to 
Mexico with a second army. His plan was to land at Vera 
Cruz, 3 and march directly on the city of Mexico, two hundred 
miles distant. After nine days' fighting he took (March 27, 
1847) Vera Cruz and the strong fortress of San Juan de Ulua, 4 
which defended it by sea, and which was considered to be 
the "Gibraltar of Mexico." General Scott said that this im- 
portant victory was due in great measure to the remarkable 
engineering skill of Captain Robert E. Lee of Virginia, who 
fourteen years later was to command the Confederate Army in 

1 Buena Vista (Bwa'nah Vees'tah, Good View). 

2 General Taylor returned to the United States in November, 1S47. 

3 Vera Cruz (Va/rah Kroos, the True Cross). 

4 San Juan de Ulua, or Ulloa (San Wahn da. Oo-loo'ah). 




268 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1847. 



the Civil War. Then pushing forward, Scott fought a battle 
at the mountain pass of Cerro Gordo 1 (April 18, 1847), driv- 
ing the Mexicans before him. Late in the summer (1847) he 
crossed the last ridge of mountains, and saw the spires and 
towers of the capital of Mexico glittering in the sun. The 
city is situated in a valley. It was surrounded with fortifica- 
tions, and could only be reached by a few narrow causeways 
— or raised roads of stone — built across the marshes. Scott 
had about eleven thousand men to attack an army which 
numbered more than three to his one, while the city itself had 
a population of nearly two hundred thousand. 

292. Victories in the Vicinity of the City of Mexico ; the City 
taken ; the Wilmot Proviso ; Results of the War. — With heavy 
loss to ourselves as well as to the enemy, we fought and won 
in a single day (August 20, 1847) a succession of battles 2 
near the city, — every one ending in victory to our arms. A 
few weeks later (September 8, 1847) we attacked and carried 
the fortified mill of Molino del Rey, 3 and five days afterwards 
(September 13, 1847) we took the castle of Chapultepec. 4 

The next morning (September 14, 1847) Scott's little army, 
now numbering only six thousand men", entered the city of 
Mexico, and hoisted the " stars and stripes " over the ancient 
palace, or so-called Halls of the Montezumas. 5 In the con- 
quering army there was a young lieutenant from Ohio, destined 
* to be better known at a later period of our history — his name 
was Ulysses S. Grant. 6 

1 Cerro Gordo : Great Hill. 

2 These were the battles of Contreras, San Antonio, and Churubusco. 
8 Molino del Rey (Mo-lee'no del Ray) : the King's Mill. 

4 Chapultepec (Chah-pool-tay-pek). 

5 The Mon-te-zu'mas were the rulers of Mexico at the time of the Spanish con- 
quest by Cortez (see Paragraph 19). The palace, which we called the " Halls of 
the Montezumas," was built by the Spanish successors of Cortez. 

6 General Grant says, in his " Personal Memoirs," I. 53, that he considered the 
Mexican war " one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker 
nation." The feeling against the war in New England found witty and able expres- 
sion in Lowell's " Biglow Papers" (First Series). 



1848.] 



DISCOVERY OF GOLD. 



269 



The fall of the city of Mexico practically ended the war, 
which had lasted less than two years. It is, perhaps, the only 
war recorded in history in which all the victories were on one 
side ; for our troops gained every battle, and gained it in 
every instance against a larger force. 

. By a treaty of peace signed early in 1848 we obtained the 
territory of California and New Mexico, with undisputed pos- 
session of Texas — or in all, nearly a million of square miles. 1 
While the war was going on, Congressman Wilmot, a Penn- 
sylvania Democrat, endeavored to get a bill passed, called the 
" Wilmot Proviso," prohibiting slavery in any part of the terri- 
tory acquired from Mexico ; but the bill failed to become law. 
Many of the Democrats who voted for it afterward united 
with a part of the Whigs and with anti-slavery men, to form a 
new party called the "Free Soilers " — later (1856) they be- 
came the Republican party. Another result of the war was 
that it educated many of the officers who fought in it, or were 
connected with it (such men as Grant, Lee, Sherman, and 
"Stonewall" Jackson) for the battle-fields of the Civil War. 2 

293. Discovery of Gold in California. — At the close of the 
Mexican War Colonel Mason was left in charge of California 
as military governor, and William T. Sherman — since, General 
Sherman — acted as one of his chief officers. In the spring 
of 1848 two men came to the governor's headquarters at 
Monterey, 3 and asked to see him. They were shown into his 
office. Presently Colonel Mason called to Sherman to come 
in. On the table were several little papers containing small 

1 See Map of Territorial Growth of the U. S. We, however, paid Mexico 
$15,000,000 for the territory, besides assuming certain debts of hers, amounting to 
about $3,000,000 more. We had previously assumed the debt of Texas, of $7,500,000 ; 
so that the whole cost of the entire territory, exclusive of the expense of the war, was 
$25,500,000. This was thought to be an enormous outlay, and, as it had been incurred 
through the annexation of Texas, many people grumbled, and said that " Texas " was 
simply " Taxes," with the letters differently arranged. 

2 Nearly every prominent officer in both armies in our Civil War served in the war 
with Mexico. 3 Monterey : about ninety miles south of San Francisco, on the coast. 



270 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1848-1849. 



bits of yellowish metal. "What is that?" said the governor 
to Sherman. "I touched it," adds the general, "examined 
one or two of the large pieces, and asked, ' Is it gold? ' " 1 It 
was gold. Some men had found it in digging a mill-race for 
a saw-mill for Captain Sutter, on a fork of the American 
River, 2 near Coloma, about a hundred miles northeast of San 
Francisco. 

San Francisco was then a little village of about four hundred 
inhabitants. When the news of the "great find " was spread 
abroad, nearly every person started for the mines. Houses 
were left half-built ; fields half-plowed. Every man that could 
possibly get away bought a shovel and hurried off to dig his 
fortune out of the golden sands. 

294. Emigration to California; the "Vigilance Committee " ; 
Results of the Discovery of Gold. — The next spring (1849) the 
"gold fever " reached the Eastern States ; and a great rush of 
emigration, by both land and sea, began for California. Many 
died of sickness contracted in crossing the Isthmus of Panama; 
multitudes more perished on the overland route across the con- 
tinent. From the Rocky Mountains to the Sierras the track 
of the emigrants was marked by the skeletons of horses and 
oxen, and by barrels, boxes, and household goods thrown 
away along the road. But notwithstanding the loss of life, 
and the fact that many turned back, discouraged at the hard- 
ships of the undertaking, still, over eighty thousand men suc- 
ceeded in reaching California before the end of that year. 
From an insignificant settlement San Francisco suddenly 
sprang into a city of twenty thousand inhabitants, which has 
since rapidly increased, and, at its present rate of growth, will 
soon reach half a million. But the great majority of the emi- 
grants hurried off to the gold diggings, where, with pan and 

1 " Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman," I. 68. 

2 The American River is a tributary of the Sacramento. Coloma is in El Dorado 
County. See Map of the Territorial Growth of the U. S. 



1849.] RESULTS OF THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD. 2JI 

shovel, 1 they were speedily engaged in collecting the shining 
particles of that precious metal which most men find it so hard 
to get, and also so hard to hold. In the course of the next 
seven years (1849-1856) between four and five hundred mil- 
lions were obtained, but costing in labor, says the leading his- 
torian of California, 2 three times what the gold was actually 
worth. A few gained the riches they so eagerly sought, but 
the greater part barely made a living by the most exhausting 
toil. 

Eagerness for wealth naturally brought bad men as well as 
good to this land of promise. At times these reckless adven- 
turers made serious trouble. But the stern hand of a Vigilance 
Committee, organized by a majority of the best citizens of San 
Francisco, 3 speedily taught desperadoes and thieves that life 
and property, must be respected. 

In the end the discovery of gold had great results for good. 
First of all, it gave us firm possession of the Pacific coast, since 
it rapidly settled the wilderness of California with a popula- 
tion of energetic and determined men. Next, by increasing 
the amount of gold in circulation, it stimulated trade, indus- 
try, and commerce, not only throughout the United States, 
but throughout the civilized world. New lines of steamships 
were started, new lines of railroads built, new markets opened 
for goods and produce, new mills and factories established. 
Finally, when the gold in the sands began to give out, men 
then found the real, inexhaustible wealth of the country in its 
fields of grain, 4 its vineyards, its orange plantations, its sheep 

1 At first, much of the gold was taken from the beds of small streams and their 
vicinity. It was done by sifting out the sand, or washing the earth, in pans or other- 
wise. When the surface mining gave out, men began to cut down the hills by direct- 
ing powerful streams of water against them, and then washing the gravel and dirt for 
gold. Most of the gold now obtained in California is from quartz rock, which is 
broken to pieces by stamping-mills. 

2 Bancroft's " Pacific States," Vol. XVIII. 

3 " To punish incendiaries and other criminals." 

4 Farming in California is often carried on on an immense scale. There are single 
fields of wheat and barley of thousands of acres in extent. 



2 72 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1849. 



and cattle farms. These make it a true land of gold, and of 
gold which is forever growing, forever increasing. 

295. Summary. — James K. Polk's presidency opened with 
our getting possession of Oregon. The Mexican War followed, 
resulting in our obtaining California and New Mexico. The 
period closed with the discovery of gold, and with an immense 
emigration to California. 

Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore. 

296. Taylor and Fillmore's Administrations (Twelfth and Thir- 
teenth Presidents, One Term, 1849-1853); the Question of the Ex- 
tension of Slavery. — When General Taylor 1 became President, 
the North and the South were already engaged in fierce dis- 
pute in regard to the territory gained through the Mexican 
War. Florida had been admitted (1845) as a slave state, and 
Texas followed. It was the last slave state that entered the 
Union ; next, Congress was called on to determine whether 
California and New Mexico should be permitted to hold 
slaves. 

This question of the spread of slavery had now come to be 
of greater importance and of greater danger to the country 
than any other. It acted like a wedge, gradually forcing the 
North and the South further and further apart. The reason 
was that the two sections had come to be wholly unlike. At 
the North, the laborer was free ; whatever he earned was his 
own. At the South, he was not free ; and what he earned was 
his master's. The North with free labor had steadily increased 

1 General Taylor was born in Virginia, 1784. A few years later his father removed 
with his family to Louisville, Kentucky. Taylor entered the regular army in 1808. 
In 1840 he bought a plantation, and settled at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His career 
in Mexico has already been traced. He was elected President by the Whigs, over 
Lewis Cass, the Democratic candidate, and Martin Van Buren, the Free-Soil candi- 
date. President Taylor died July 9, 1850, and was succeeded by Vice-President 
Millard Fillmore. General Taylor owned a large number of slaves ; but in political 
action he belonged to no party, and did not favor the extension of slavery to new 
territory. He was a brave, true, and conscientious man. 



1850.] 



DISPUTE ABOUT SLAVERY. 



273 



in population and wealth ; the South with slave labor had made 
but little real progress. Most people at the North now con- 
sidered slavery a positive evil ; but a strong party at the South, 
under Calhoun, held, in spite of all the facts pointing to the 
contrary, that it was a positive good. This difference in belief 
led to the struggle about the new territory. The South was 
the more determined because it was only by getting new slave 
states — thus bringing in senators and representatives — that 
it could maintain its power in Congress. If that power were 
once really lost, the foremost Southern leaders feared that 
their whole system of labor would be destroyed, that the ne- 
groes would be set free, and that they would by and by get the 
control of that part of the country. 

297. Dispute about Slavery; the Danger of Disunion; the Com- 
promise of 1850 ; the Fugitive-Slave Law. — The longer the dis- 
pute about slavery in the new territory went on, the hotter it 
grew. Three methods of settlement were proposed. The ex- 
treme Southern men said, Every citizen of the United States 
has the right to go to any part of the country he pleases, and 
take his property — - including his negroes — with him. Give 
us, said they, that right, and we ask no more. But the advo- 
cates of the " Wilmot Proviso " 1 and other Free-Soil men 
answered, We will have no more slave states. All territory 
shall come in free. Finally, a third class said : Congress has 
no right to meddle in this matter, one way or the other. The 
people of the territories are the sovereigns; 2 let them decide 
for themselves between freedom and slavery. Their will shall 
be law. 

Iowa (1846) and Wisconsin (1848) had recently entered the 
Union, making a total of fifteen free to the same number of 
slave states. Now California asked to come in as a free state. 
If admitted, this would give the North the majority. Presi- 

1 See Paragraph 292. 

2 This was called "Popular Sovereignty," or "Squatter Sovereignty," because it 
left the question to the settlers (sometimes called " squatters ") of the new territories. 



274 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1850. 



dent Taylor, though himself a large slaveholder, strongly fav- 
ored its admission ; but Calhoun and his party just as strongly 
opposed it. The feeling became so violent and bitter that it 
seemed to many that the Union must be broken up, and that, 
instead of one nation, we should split into a Northern and a 
Southern Republic. 

At this time of peril, Henry Clay, "the Peacemaker," came 
forward in Congress with a compromise, or plan of settlement. 1 
He said : i. Let California come in as a free state. 2. In the 
remainder of the territory, obtained from Mexico, let the 
people determine for themselves how they will come in. 3. All 
runaway slaves found at the North shall be arrested, and, 
without trial by jury, they shall be returned to their masters. 

Daniel Webster employed his eloquence to get Congress to 
vote for this compromise, including the new Fugitive-Slave 
Law; 2 for he believed that if it was rejected, the country 
would be lost. Many people at the North denounced him, as 
John Quincy Adams once did, as " a heartless traitor to the 
cause of human freedom " ; but Horace Greeley, a strong Aboli- 
tionist, declared that the great majority, both North and South, 
agreed with Mr. Webster. 3 

1 Clay's Compromise Bill contained so many points that it was called the " Om- 
nibus Bill." In it he proposed to conciliate the North by : i. Admitting California 
as a free state. 2. By abolishing the slave trade (but not slavery) in the District 
of Columbia. 

On the other hand, he endeavored to conciliate the moderate party in the South 
by: 1. Leaving the question of slavery in New Mexico and Utah (acquired from 
Mexico) to the people of those territories. 2. To conciliate all parties in the 
South, he proposed a more effective Fugitive-Slave Law than that of 1793, which 
rested on a provision of the Constitution (see the Constitution, page xiv). The 
Omnibus Bill was passed at last, not as one, but as several bills (September, 1850). 

Henry Clay, though a slaveholder, was opposed to the extension of slavery into 
new territory, and used all his influence to get his own state (Kentucky) to abolish 
slavery, but without success. 

2 Mr. Webster, however, wished to have this law modified so as to secure trial 
by jury to negroes arrested as fugitives, in case they denied that they were runaway 
slaves. His efforts to secure this change were unsuccessful, for the South insisted that 
no Northern jury would ever return a negro. See Curtis's " Life of Webster," II. 
422, 423. 3 See Horace Greeley's " American Conflict," I. 220, 221. 



1850-1852.] THE FUGITIVE- SLAVE LAW. 275 

298. Passage of the Fugitive-Slave Law ; its Results ; the 
"Underground Railroad"; the "Higher Law." — During the 
debate on the Fugitive-Slave Law, President Taylor died, and 
was succeeded by Vice-President Fillmore. The law, with the 
other compromise measures, passed in the autumn of 1850, Cali- 
fornia was admitted, and it was hoped that peace was secured. 
But it was only a hollow peace, like the quiet of a smouldering 
fire, ready to break out at any moment in a conflagration. 

As soon as the slave-owners of the South attempted to arrest 
their runaway negroes at the North there were riots and rescues. 
In Boston, a fugitive named Shadrach was taken from the offi- 
cers and carried off to a place of safety ; and in Syracuse, New 
York, one named Jerry received his liberty in the same way. 
Several Northern states now passed laws to protect negroes 
and prevent their being sent back to slavery. Many persons, 
out of pity for the escaped slaves, banded themselves together 
to help them privately to get to Canada. This method got 
the name of the " Underground Railroad " ; and hundreds, if 
not thousands, of trembling fugitives owed their liberty to the 
quickness and secrecy of this peculiar system of travel. 

There has always been a deep and abiding respect for law 
in America — because here the people themselves may be said 
to make the laws. But now for the first time many men began 
to declare, as William H. Seward of New York did in the United 
States Senate : Above the Constitution and all Acts of Con- 
gress there is a " Higher Law " — a divine law of justice and 
of freedom which compels us through conscience not to obey 
the order of the government, and not to return the fugitive to 
his master. 

299. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" ; Charles Sumner and Jefferson Davis. 

— This feeling of opposition was suddenly intensified through- 
out the North by the publication in 1852 of Mrs. Stowe's 
"Uncle Tom's Cabin." It was in every respect a remarkable 
book — one written from the heart to the heart. It meant 



276 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1852-1853. 

to be truthful, to be fair, to be kind. In a single year two 
hundred thousand copies were sold in this country, and in a 
short time the total sales here had reached half a million copies. 
Mrs. Stowe's object was to show what the life of the slave 
really was — to show its bright and happy side, as well as its 
dark and cruel side. People who took up the book could not 
lay it down until they had finished it. They laughed and cried, 
and laughed again, over " Topsy," " Eva," and " Uncle Tom " ; 
but they ended with tears in their eyes. No arguments, no 
denials, could shake the influence of the story. From this 
time onward a silent revolution was going on. The forces for 
slavery and those against it were girding themselves up for the 
terrible struggle. The great leaders of the nation on both 
sides — Clay, Webster, Calhoun — had died before the close 
of 1852. New men were taking their places in Congress- — 
Charles Sumner representing the North ; Jefferson Davis, the 
South. In the battles which these two men fought in words 
we have the beginning of that contest which was soon to end 
in civil war. Both felt that the time was very soon coming 
when the republic must stand wholly free or wholly on the side 
of slavery. 

300. Summary. — The four chief events of the Taylor and 
Fillmore administrations were: (1) the debate on the exten- 
sion Of slavery in the new territory gained by the Mexican 
War; (2) the Compromise Measures of 1850, with the Fugi- 
tive-Slave Law ; (3) the publication of " Uncle Tom's Cabin " ; 
and (4) the beginning of the final struggle in Congress between 
the North and the South. 

Franklin Pierce. 

301. Pierce's Administration (Fourteenth President, One Term, 
1853-1857) ; the " World's Fair " at New York City; American 
Labor-Saving Machines. — The summer following the inaugura- 



1853.] 



pierce's administration. 



277 




tion of President Pierce 1 a great exhibition of the products 
and industries of all nations was held at New York (1853) in 
a building of glass and iron erected for it, called the " Crystal 
Palace." Its chief result was £hat it helped us as a people to 
compare our own work with that of Europe. It proved beyond 
all doubt that Americans have 

no equals in practical inven- ^-^rf^^J^X^;^^^^ 
tions and in the excellence and — , - — _ _ 
variety of their labor-saving ^^igf^ 
machinery — their steam- ' __ > -^5^J Jb " " 
printing-presses, power-looms, 
sewing-machines, steam- 
shovels, planing-machines, and 

. ... mi • -ii Reaping-Machine, or Harvester. 

the like. This was especially 

the case in the exhibition of farming-implements. The reapers 
and mowers for cutting grain and grass showed the immense 
advance we had made over the slow work formerly done by hand 
with sickle and scythe. The French Academy of Sciences de- 
clared that Cyrus McCormick, 2 the inventor of the reaper, had 

1 Franklin Pierce was born in New Hampshire in 1804; died 1869. He was in 
Congress from 1837-1842, and was a brigadier-general in the Mexican War. He 
was elected President (William R. King of Alabama, Vice-President) by the 
Democrats, over General Scott, the Whig candidate. The Whig party had practi- 
cally ceased to exist before the next presidential election, in 1856. The Free-Soilers 
humorously declared that it died "of an attempt to swallow the Fugitive-Slave 
Law" (which the Whig National Convention had accepted in 1852). In 1852 a 
new political party called the American Party, or " Know Nothings," came into 
existence. They had a secret organization, and their object was to exclude all but 
native American citizens from office, to check the power of Catholicism, and to 
oppose the admission of foreigners to citizenship except after very long residence 
here. Their motto was, " Americans must rule America." The " Know Nothings " 
became a national party, exerted considerable influence for a few years, and then 
died out. 

In 1853 the present boundary between the United States and Mexico was 
finally established by our purchase (through General James Gadsden, the United 
States minister to Mexico) of the region including the Mesilla Valley (now Southern 
Arizona and Southern New Mexico ; see Map of Growth of the U. S.) for $10,000,000. 

2 Cyrus Hall McCormick was born in Virginia, 1809. In 1834 he patented his 
machine for reaping grain (operated by horse-power), and later improved it so that 
it not only cut the grain, but bound it in sheaves. William H. Seward, then in the 



278 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1854. 



"done more for the cause of agriculture than any man living." 
The effect on the settlement of the West was wonderful. 

302. Commodore Perry opens the Ports of Japan. — Not long 

after the close of the Crystal Palace Exhibition, Commodore 
Perry sailed into one of the ports of Japan with the first fleet 
of steamers that had ever entered a harbor of that island. For 
over two centuries that country had been almost wholly closed 
to the entire world. 1 The Japanese dreaded Europeans, and 
they had been taught that all Americans were barbarians of 
the most dangerous sort. Commodore Perry succeeded in con- 
vincing them that if the Americans were barbarians, they were 
of an uncommonly ingenious and agreeable kind. Through 
his influence the government of Japan made a treaty with the 
United States admitting our ships to trade; and we, on the 
other hand, made the emperor presents of a locomotive with 
a train of cars, and a line of telegraph — the first ever seen in 
that country, which has since adopted, through our influence, 
both steam and electricity. 

303. The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealing the Missouri Compro- 
mise. — It will be remembered that the Missouri Compromise 
of 1820 shut out slavery from the territory west and north 
of Missouri. 2 At the time the Compromise was made it was 
solemnly declared that it would stand " forever." But the end 
of that "forever" was now reached. The South demanded 
the right to carry slavery into the region of Nebraska beyond 
Missouri. In 1854, Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois — 

United States Senate, said in 1859, " Owing to Mr. McCormick's invention, the line 
of civilization [in the United States] moves westward thirty miles each year." And 
Professor Alexander Johnston says that the results of McCormick's invention " have 
been hardly less than that of the locomotive in their importance to the United 
States. ... It was agricultural machinery that made Western farms profitable, and 
enabled the railroads to fill the West so rapidly." (It is still a matter of controversy 
whether Hussey's reaper or McCormick's came first in order of time.) 

1 The Dutch had the privilege of trading with Japan, but under restrictions which 
forbade their landing on the island. 2 See Paragraph 243. 



1854.] 



THE KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT. 



279 



the "Little Giant," as his friends called him 1 — proposed a 
law entitled the Kansas and Nebraska Bill. That bill cut 
what was then the territory of Nebraska into two parts, of 
which the southern portion was called Kansas; and it left it 
to the settlers of these two territories to decide whether they 
would have slave labor or not. 2 Congress passed the bill, and 
thus repealed or set aside the Missouri agreement made in 1820. 
The North was indignant at the new law. Senator Douglas 
was hooted in the streets. Mass meetings were held to de- 
nounce him ; and so many images of him were made and 
burned, that Mr. Douglas himself said that he travelled from 
Washington to Chicago by the light of his own blazing effigies. 

304. The Struggle for the Possession of Kansas; Emigrants 
from Missouri and from New England. — Now (1854) a desperate 
struggle began between the North and the South for the pos- 
session of Kansas. 3 No sooner had President Pierce signed 
the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, thus making it law, 4 than bands of 
men armed with rifles commenced to pour into the territory, 
resolved to win it either by fraud or force. The first move- 
ment came from the slaveholders of Missouri, who crossed the 
Missouri River and took up lands in the new territory. Soon 
after, this party began a settlement which they named Atchison, 
in honor of Senator Atchison of Missouri. 

Next, the New England Aid Society of Boston sent out a 

1 Senator Douglas was short in stature and stoutly built. His great intellectual 
ability and marked decision of character got for him the name of the " Little Giant." 
He died in 1861, shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War. His dying message to 
his sons was an entreaty that they should stand by the Union and the Constitution. 

2 The " Kansas-Nebraska Act " extended the principles of Clay's Compromise of 
1850 (see Paragraph 297) (which applied only to territory acquired from Mexico) and 
left it to the people of Kansas and Nebraska to make their own choice about slavery. 

3 In speaking of this coming struggle, Hon. William H. Seward of New York 
said, in the United States Senate, 1854 : " Come on, then, gentlemen of the slave 
states ; since there is no escaping your challenge, I accept it on behalf of Freedom. 
We will engage in competition for the virgin soil of Kansas, and God give the victory 
to the side that is stronger in numbers as it is in right." 

4 See page 245, note 3. 



280 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1854-1859. 



body of armed emigrants, who settled about forty miles to the 
southwest of Atchison. They called their little cluster of tents 
and log-cabins Lawrence, because Amos A. Lawrence was 
treasurer of the society, which was established to aid Northern 
men in the double purpose of building homes in Kansas and 
of making the territory a free state. Thus, that part of the 
territory lying on the Missouri River came to be held by men 
favoring the introduction of slavery; while the territory some- 
what further west and south was generally in the hands of those 
opposed to slavery. 

305. The Rival Governments of Kansas ; Civil War in the Terri- 
tory. — These rival sections soon set up governments to suit 
themselves. The Free-state settlers had their headquarters 
at Topeka and Lawrence; the Slave-state settlers, at Leaven- 
worth and Lecompton. 

From 1854 to 1859 that part of the country suffered so much 
from the efforts of both parties to get control that it fairly 
earned the name of "Bleeding Kansas." During the greater 
part of five years the territory was torn by civil war. 1 The 
Free-state men denounced the opposite party as "Border 
Ruffians"; the "Border Ruffians" called the Free-state men 
" Abolitionists " and " Black Republicans." 2 

306. Attack on Lawrence; John Brown; Assault on Charles 
Sumner. — In the course of this period of violence and blood- 
shed the Slave-state men attacked Lawrence, plundered the 
town, and burned some of its chief buildings. This roused 
the spirit of vengeance in the heart of " Old John Brown " of 

1 Civil war (from the Latin word civis, a citizen) : a war between citizens of the 
same state or country. 

2 Early in 1856 those who had opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, and who were 
pledged to resist the extension of slavery into new territory, formed a new political 
party, and adopted the name of " Republicans." This was the origin of the present 
party of that name. Their opponents at the South nicknamed them " Black Repub- 
licans," because the party was opposed to holding the black man in bondage. 



1854-1857.] 



JOHN BROWN IN KANSAS. 



28l 



Osawatomie. 1 He was a descendant of one of the Pilgrims 
who came over in the Mayflower? and he had made a solemn 
vow to "kill American slavery." In return for the attack on 
Lawrence, Brown got together a small band, surprised a little 
settlement of Slave-state men on Pottawatomie Creek, south 
of Lawrence, dragged five of them from their beds, and deliber- 
ately murdered them. Later, Brown crossed into Missouri, 
destroyed considerable property, freed eleven slaves, and shot 
one of the slave-owners. The truth appears to be that each 
party in Kansas was resolved to drive out the other. 3 In the 
end, the Free-state men won the victory, and Kansas following 
the example of Minnesota and Oregon (1858-1859) entered 
the Union without slavery (1861). 

During the heated debate in Congress over the Kansas 
troubles, Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts made a 
speech denouncing slavery, and alluding to Senator Butler of 
South Carolina in a way that stung the latter's friends to mad- 
ness. Representative Brooks, a kinsman of Butler's, considered 
the speech an insult; he brutally assaulted Sumner, and beat 
him so severely over the head with a heavy cane that he was 
obliged to give up his seat in Congress for nearly four years. 
In less than a year from his return (1859) South Carolina had 
seceded from the Union. 

1 John Brown, born in Torrington, Connecticut, 1800, was executed at Charles- 
town, Virginia, December 2, 1859, for having attempted by armed force to liber- 
ate slaves in that state. He was a descendant of Peter Brown, who came over in 
the Mayflower in 1620. When a boy, he chanced to see a slave boy cruelly beaten 
by his master, and he then and there vowed (so he says) " eternal war with slavery." 
In 1848 he purchased a farm in North Elba, New York, but spent a great deal of 
his time in aiding runaway slaves to get to Canada. He went out to Osawatomie, 
Kansas, in 1855, to take part in making that territory a free state, and also, as he 
says, to strike a blow at slavery. Brown's party declared that they perpetrated the 
" Pottawatomie Massacre " in return for the assassination of five Free-state men by 
the opposite party. (Charlestown is now included in West Virginia.) 

2 See Paragraph 73. 

3 During this administration and the preceding one some attempts were made by 
armed expeditions of Americans to get possession of Cuba, and also of part of 
Central America, but they ended in complete failure. 



282 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1857. 



307. Summary. — The chief events of Pierce's administra- 
tion were: (1) The "World's Fair" exhibition; (2) Commodore 
Perry's treaty with Japan, opening that country to trade with 
the United States; (3) the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska 
Bill repealing the Missouri Compromise; and (4) the struggle 
of the North and the South for the possession of Kansas. 

James Buchanan. 

308. Buchanan's Administration (Fifteenth President, One Term 
1857-1861); the Case of Dred Scott. — Two days after President 
Buchanan's 1 inauguration, Chief- Justice Taney gave the deci- 
sion of the United States Supreme Court in a case of great im- 
portance, known as the "Dred Scott Case." Scott was a negro 
slave and the son of slave parents. His master had taken him 
(1834) from the slave state of Missouri to the free state of Illi- 
nois, where he staid two years. He then took him to what is 
now Minnesota, a part of the country 2 in which Congress had 
prohibited slavery, 3 and finally carried him back to Missouri. 

There Scott was sold to a new master ; but the negro de- 
manded his liberty, on the ground that since he had lived for 
a considerable time on free soil he had therefore become a 
free man. 

309. Decision of the U. S. Supreme Court in the Dred Scott Case; 
Results at the North. — The case was carried to the United 
States Supreme Court. That Court 4 decided: (1) that a 
negro (whether bond or free), who was a descendant of slave 
ancestors, was not an American citizen ; ( 2 ) therefore he could 

1 James Buchanan was born in Pennsylvania, 1791 ; died, :S68. He was elected 
to Congress in 1820; later, to the United States Senate; was minister to Russia; 
Secretary of State under Polk ; and 1853 minister to England. He was elected Presi- 
dent (John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky, Vice-President) by the Democrats, over 
John C. Fremont, the Republican candidate, and Millard Fillmore, the " American," 
or " Know Nothing," candidate. 2 Then called the Territory of Upper Louisiana. 

3 The Missouri Compromise (1820), virtually repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska 
Act (1854), prohibited slavery in this territory. See Paragraphs 243, 303. 

4 Judge McLean and Judge Curtis did not agree with the other seven judges. 



1857.] 



THE DRED SCOTT CASE. 



283 



not sue (even for his liberty) in the United States Courts. It 
furthermore decided that Scott had not gained his freedom by 
going into a free state, or into a Territory where Congress had 
prohibited slavery, since Congress had no power to do this. 

Chief-Justice Taney declared that when the Constitution 
was adopted negroes "had no rights which the white man 
was bound to respect;" 1 and lastly, that Scott's master could 
lawfully take his slaves into any Territory, just as he could his 
horses and his cattle. This decision by the highest court in 
the United States stirred the North like an electric shock. The 
people of that section believed that it practically threw open to 
slavery not only the Territories but even the free states. 2 The 
result was that many people determined that the law should 
not be carried out. 3 This, of course, angered the South, and 
greatly increased the bad feeling between the two sections. 4 

310. The Business Panic of 1857. — While men were excitedly 
discussing the Dred Scott decision, and while the danger of 
disunion was growing more and more threatening, a heavy 
business failure occurred in Cincinnati. 5 This brought down 
other business houses, just as when a large building falls the 
smaller ones whose walls rest against it often fall with it. 
The panic of 1837 6 was now repeated. Nearly all the banks 

1 This was no personal feeling of Judge Taney's, for he had freed his own slaves. 

2 That is, that the free states could not prevent a slaveholder from bringing his 
slaves with him (as Scott's master had done), and staying at least two years with 
them on free soil. 

3 The Northern people believed that under the Constitution slaves could only be 
held in those states which protected slavery by their laws, and that if a master took 
his negroes into a state whose laws forbade slavery, he could not hold them in bond- 
age there. 

4 Meanwhile (1845-1846), two of the great religious denominations of the country 
— the Baptists and the Methodists — had split; and each was now organized as a 
Northern and a Southern Church ; the first opposing slavery, and the second uphold- 
ing it. Later (1861), the Presbyterian denomination became similarly divided; but 
not the Episcopal or the Roman Catholic. 

5 The Ohio Life and Trust Company failed, through the fault of its New York 
agent, in August, 1857. 6 See Paragraph 274. 



284 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1857-1859. 



in the country failed, 1 many railroads could not pay their 
debts, thousands of merchants and manufacturers were ruined, 
and it seemed at one time as though all rich men must become 
poor, and all poor men become beggars. 

The chief causes of this trouble were to be found in the re- 
sults of the discovery of gold in California. 2 The increased 
wealth had stimulated men to overdo all kinds of business ; 
more lines of railroad had been built in the West than the 
population demanded ; many manufacturers had made greater 
quantities of goods than they could sell; and many merchants 
had bought more than they could pay for. The country was 
like a man who had worked beyond his strength — it had to 
stop and take a rest. 

311. Discovery of Silver in Nevada and Colorado, and of Petro- 
leum and Natural Gas in Pennsylvania. — But in 1859, less than 
two years after the panic, some of the richest silver mines 
ever discovered on the globe were found in the mountain 
region of Western Nevada. 3 The two chief of these, known 
as the "Bonanza" 4 mines, sent out many millions of dollars' 
worth of ore cast in the form of bricks. When, in the course 
of time, these famous " silver bricks " decreased in number for 
want of ore to make them, new mines that had been found 
(1877) in Leadville and other parts of Colorado and also in 
Utah, sent out a new- supply of the precious metal. 

In 1859 Colonel Drake sunk the first successful oil-well on 

1 The Chemical Bank of New York City, which had gone safely through the great 
panic of 1837, continued to pay all demands in gold. The State Bank of Indiana and 
the Kentucky banks also met all demands against them in a satisfactory manner. See 
Ex-Secretary of the Treasury McCulloch's " Men and Measures of Half a Century," 
page 133. 2 See Paragraph 294. 

3 The mines were discovered in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in what is called 
the Comstock lode (a lode is a vein or deposit of mineral). 

4 " Bonanza " : a Spanish word meaning prosperity. In the West it is applied 
(in mining) to a very rich mass of gold or silver ore. The total yield of the mines of 
the Comstock lode has been over two hundred and fifty million dollars. The amount 
at present obtained from them is very small. 



1859.] 



JOHN BROWN'S RAID. 



285 



Oil Creek, near Titusville, in Northwestern Pennsylvania. 
Since then, petroleum 1 has flowed in streams from the wells 
that have been opened in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, South- 
ern New York, and many other sections. The average yield 
of these wells is now about fifty thousand barrels of oil a day. 
Lines of iron pipes, laid underground, carry the oil over hills, 
across rivers, through forests and farms, to Chicago, Buffalo, 
Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, and other points on the 
Great Lakes and the seacoast. Petroleum is used not only 
for giving light, but it is more and more employed to oil 
machinery and for heating purposes. 

About fifteen years after the discovery of petroleum in Penn- 
sylvania, natural gas was found issuing from the rocks in the 
same region, and later in Ohio, Indiana, and other parts of 
the West. This gas has taken the place of oil and coal in 
Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and vicinity for lighting streets and 
houses, for cooking, and for fuel in manufacturing. As Nature 
makes it in her laboratories underground, the gas costs practi- 
cally nothing more than the expense of the tubes which con- 
duct it from the earth. It is often seen burning in the streets 
all day as well as all night, for sometimes it is cheaper to let 
it burn than to hire men to go round and shut it off. Pipes 
may be laid conveying the gas to Philadelphia, New York, 
and other cities, in order to supply them with light at a lower 
rate than that at which they can now get it. 

312. John Brown's Raid. — In the autumn of 1859 the whole 
country was startled on hearing that " John Brown of Osawa- 
tomie" 2 had made a raid 3 into Virginia, seized the govern- 
ment buildings at Harper's Ferry, and attempted to liberate 
the slaves in that vicinity. John Brown's whole band con- 
sisted of only about twenty men, partly whites and partly 
negroes. After hard fighting, he was captured, with six of 



1 Petroleum : commonly known, in one of its refined forms, as kerosene oil. 

2 See Paragraph 306. 3 R a id : a sudden invasion by a body of armed men. 



286 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1859-1860. 



his companions, and hanged at Charlestown, Virginia (De- 
cember 2, 1859). On the day of his execution, he handed 
this paper to one of his guards : " I, John Brown, am now 

quite certain that 
the crimes of this 
guilty land will 
never be purged 
away but with 
blood. I had, as 
I now think, vainly 
flattered myself 
that without very 
much bloodshed it 
might be done." 1 
Within a year 
and a half from the 
day of his death, 
the North and the South were at war with each other, and a 
Northern regiment on its way to the contest was singing, — 

" John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave, 
But his soul is marching on." 

313. The Election of Abraham Lincoln; Secession of South 
Carolina. — In November, i860, Abraham Lincoln 2 of Illinois 

1 Governor Wise of Virginia said of John Brown: " He inspired me with great 
trust in his integrity as a man of truth." The governor also said : " They are mis- 
taken who take Brown for a madman. He is a bundle of the best nerves I ever 
saw . . . cool, collected, indomitable." In his last speech at his trial, John Brown 
declared that his only object had been to liberate the slaves, and that he did not 
intend to commit murder or treason or to destroy property. " I feel," said he, " no 
consciousness of guilt." 

It is worthy of note that when the Republican party, which was opposed to the 
extension of slavery, nominated Abraham Lincoln for the presidency in i860, it 
expressly denounced John Brown's attempt as " lawless and unjustifiable." 

2 Abraham Lincoln was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, in 1809. His early 
life was spent in toil, hardship, and poverty ; but it was the independent poverty of 
the Western wilderness, and it made men of those who fought their way out of it. 

When the boy was only eight years old he had learned to swing an axe. From 
that time until he came of age he literally chopped and hewed his way forward and 




Harper's Ferry in 1859. 



I860.] THE ELECTION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 287 



was elected by the Republican party President of the United 
States, then a nation of over thirty millions. That party, 
though it denounced John 
Brown, 1 had pledged itself 
to shut out slavery from the 
territories. The people of 
South Carolina believed 
that the election of Mr. 
Lincoln meant that the 
great majority of the North 
was determined to bring 
about the liberation of the 
negroes. That was a great 
mistake; but the Carolini- 
ans could not then be 
convinced to the contrary. 
They furthermore saw that 
they could no longer hope 
to maintain the power they 

1 See page 286, note r. 



upward. He learned to read from two books — the spelling-book and the Bible ; 
then he borrowed " Pilgrim's Progress " and yEsop's Fables, and would sit up half 
the night reading them " by the blaze of the logs his own axe had split." 

In 1816 the Lincoln family moved to Spencer County, Indiana ; and in 1830, to 
Decatur, Illinois. On this last occasion, young Lincoln walked the entire distance, 
nearly two hundred miles, through mud and water, driving a four-ox team. The 
journey took fifteen days ; for even two yoke of oxen do not move quite as fast as 
steam. When they reached their destination, in what was then an almost unsettled 
country, the father and son set to work to build the log-cabin which was to be their 
home ; and when that was finished, the young man split the rails to fence in their 
farm of ten acres. 

Such work was play to him. He was now twenty-one ; he stood six feet three 
and a half inches, barefooted ; he was in perfect health ; could out-run, out-jump, 
out-wrestle, and, if necessary, out-fight, any one of his age in the county, and " his 
grip was like the grip of Hercules." Without this rugged strength he could never 
have endured the strain that the nation later put upon him. 

In 1834 he resolved to begin the study of law. A friend in Springfield offered 
to lend him some books ; Lincoln walked there, twenty-two miles from New Salem 




Boyhood of Lincoln. 



288 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1860-1861. 



once possessed in Congress, for the free states now had six 
more senators and fifty-seven more representatives than the 
slave states had. 1 

On December 20, i860, a convention met in "Secession 
Hall," in Charleston, and unanimously voted "that the union 
now subsisting between South Carolina and other states, under 
the name of the United States of America, is hereby dissolved." 
Those who thus voted said that it was no hasty resolution on 
their part, but that it had been under consideration for many 
years. The declaration of secession was welcomed in the 
streets with the firing of cannon and the ringing of bells. The 
citizens believed that they had broken up the Union, and that 
South Carolina had now, as its governor said, become a "free 
and independent State." 

314. Secession of Six other Southern States; Formation of the 
* < Confederate States of America." — By the first of February 
(1861) the states of Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, 
Louisiana, and Texas — making seven in all — had likewise 

(where he then lived), and, it is said, brought back with him four heavy volumes of 
Blackstone, at the end of the same day. 

A few years later he opened a law-office in Springfield. In 1846 " Honest Abe,'' 
as his neighbors and friends called him, was elected to Congress; and in i860, to 
the presidency of the United States, by the Republican party (Hannibal Hamlin of 
Maine, Vice-President). The Democratic party had split into a Northern and a 
Southern party. The former had nominated Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois ; and 
the latter, John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky. The former American (or " Know- 
Nothing") party, which now called itself the "Constitutional Union Party," had 
nominated John Bell of Tennessee. Lincoln received nearly half a million more 
votes than Douglas, and more than a million in excess of those cast for either of the 
other candidates. 

1 In 1790, just after the foundation of the government, the free states (that is, the 
northern states ; they had comparatively few slaves) had 14 senators and 35 repre- 
sentatives in Congress ; the slave states, 12 senators and 30 representatives. From 
1796 to 1812, inclusive, the free states and the slave states had an equal number in 
the Senate, but the free states had a majority in the House. After 1848 the free 
states had a majority in both Senate and House, and in the latter this majority was 
constantly increasing. That fact meant that the South had lost its political power, 
partly because slavery had failed to get a foothold in the far West, but mainly because 
the North had outgrown the South in population. 



1861.] FORMATION OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES. 289 



withdrawn from the Union. A seceding senator rashly declared 
that they had left the national government " a corpse lying in 
state in Washington." On February 4 (1861), delegates from 
these states (except those from Texas, who arrived later) met 
at Montgomery, Alabama. They framed a government and 
took the name of the "Confederate States of America," with 
Montgomery as the capital; then they elected Jefferson Davis 1 
of Mississippi, President, and Alexander H. Stephens 2 of 
Georgia, Vice-President of the Confederacy. The Confederate 
States now cast aside the Stars and Stripes, and hoisted a new 
flag, the "Stars and Bars,'* 3 in its place. 

315. Why the South seceded; Seizure of National Property; the 
Star of the West fired on. — What took these seven states — 
soon to be followed by four more — out of the Union ? The 
answer is, it was first their conviction that slavery would thrive 
better by being separated from the influence of the North ; and, 
secondly, it was their belief in "State Rights," 4 upheld by 
South Carolina as far back as Jackson's presidency. Accord- 

1 Jefferson Davis was born in Kentucky in 1808; died, 1889. He graduated at 
West Point Military Academy in 1828. In 1845 he was elected to Congress by the 
Democrats in Mississippi, of which state he had become a resident. He served 
with distinction in the Mexican War (see Paragraph 290). In 1847 he entered the 
United States Senate, where, like Calhoun, he advocated state rights and the exten- 
sion of slavery. President Pierce made him Secretary of War. He was United 
States Senator under Buchanan. His state (Mississippi) seceded on January 9, 1861. 
Mr. Davis kept his seat in the Senate until January 21, and then, with a speech 
asserting the right of secession, he withdrew to join the Southern Confederacy. 

2 Alexander H. Stephens was born in Georgia in 1812 ; died, 1883. He was in 
Congress as a representative of the Whigs from 1843 to 1859. He afterwards joined 
the Democrats. He at first opposed secession, and said that it was " the height of 
madness, folly, and wickedness"; but when Georgia seceded, he decided that it was 
his duty to stand by his state. After the Civil War he again entered Congress, and 
in 1882 he was elected governor of Georgia. He was a man who had the entire 
respect of those who knew him. 

3 The " Stars and Bars," as the Confederate flag was popularly called, to distin- 
guish it from the " Stars and Stripes," consisted of a blue union (the upper, inner 
corner of a flag is called the union), containing at first seven, and later eleven, white 
stars, — representing the number of the Confederate states, — arranged in a circle. 
The body of the flag was made up of three very broad horizontal stripes, or " bars," 
the middle one white, the two others red. See page 296. 4 See Paragraph 269. 



29O LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1861. 



ing to that idea, any state was justified in separating itself 
from the United States whenever it became convinced that it 
was for its interest to withdraw. 

In this act of secession many of the people of the South 
took no direct part, ■ — a large number being, in fact, utterly 
opposed to it, — but the political leaders were fully determined 
on separation. Their aim was to establish a great slave-hold- 
ing republic, or nationality, of which they should be head. 1 

President Buchanan made no attempt to prevent the states 
from seceding; part of his cabinet were Southern men, who 
were in full sympathy with the Southern leaders, and the 
President did not see how to act. 

The seceded states seized the forts, arsenals, and other 
national property within their limits, so far as they could do 
so. Fort Sumter, commanded by Major Anderson of the 
United States army, in Charleston Harbor, was one of the few 
where the " Stars and Stripes " remained flying. President 
Buchanan had made an effort to send men and supplies to 
Major Anderson by the merchant steamer Star of the West 
(January 9, 186 1) ; but the people of Charleston fired upon 
the steamer, and compelled her to go back. 

All eyes were now turned toward Abraham Lincoln. The 
great question was, What will he do when he becomes Presi- 
dent? 

316. General Summary from Washington to Buchanan (1789- 
1861); Growth of the West; Secession. — Looking back to the 

1 Alexander H. Stephens, Vice-President of the Confederacy, said, in a speech at 
Savannah, March 21, 1861, " The prevailing idea entertained by him [Jefferson] 
and most of the leading statesmen at the time of the formation of the old Consti- 
tution [the Constitution of the United States] was that the enslavement of the 
African was in violation of the laws of nature; that it was wrong in principle — 
socially, morally, and politically. . . . Our new government [the Southern Con- 
federacy] is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its 
corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white 
man ; that slavery — subordination to the superior race — is his natural and normal 
condition." — McPherson's Political History of the Rebellion, page 103. 



1789-1861.] SUMMARY FROM WASHINGTON TO BUCHANAN. 2C)I 



presidency of Washington, we see that over seventy years had 
elapsed since the formation of the Union. We then had a 
population of less than four millions; in 1861 — at the out- 
break of secession — we had eight times that number, and 
much more than eight times the wealth possessed by us in 
1789. Thus, from a small and poor nation, we had grown to 
be great and prosperous. 

In 1789 our western boundary was the Mississippi, and there 
seemed no prospect that we should extend beyond it. Long 
before 1861 we had reached the Pacific. Our original eight 
hundred thousand square miles had increased to over three 
millions ; and the original thirteen states had added to them- 
selves twenty-one more, besides immense territories. 

In 1789 New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and 
Charleston — five in all — were our only cities, 1 and they were 
so small that they were hardly worthy of the name. By 1861 
most of these places (especially those at the North) had grown 
enormously in population and wealth ; Brooklyn, Detroit, Cin- 
cinnati, and St. Louis had become large and flourishing cities, 
and we had added to them Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, 2 
Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and New Orleans; with Kansas City, 
Salt Lake City, Portland, and San Francisco in the far west, 
— all, but the last four, connected with each other, by railroads 
and lines of telegraph. 

In fact the western and northwestern part of the country 
had advanced "by leaps and bounds," so that every year 
beheld it coming more and more to the front. 3 Emigrants, 
miners, and other pioneers of civilization were constantly 
pushing forward into the vast region beyond the Mississippi. 
There they were building the first rude shanties of settlements 

1 City is used here in its primary sense of " a large town." 

2 The eastern part of what is now Minneapolis was incorporated as a city, under 
the name of St. Anthony, in i860. The west side, named Minneapolis, was incor- 
porated as a city in 1867 ; in 1872 the two were united under that name. 

3 On the growth of the west and northwest in population and political power see : 
Table of Population. 



292 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1789-1861. 



which were to become known as Omaha and Denver, and they 
were laying the foundations of the eleven great states 1 which, 
with West Virginia, have since joined the Union. 

But between 1789 and 1861 there was this sad difference: 
Washington had found and left us a united people ; Buchanan, 
a divided people. Seven of our states had left us ; four more • 
would go. For many years we had been brothers ; now we 
were fast becoming enemies. Only let the word be spoken, 
and our swords would leap from their scabbards, and we would 
fly at each other's throats. 

What had brought about this deplorable change ? Time. 
Time had strengthened Slavery at the South and Freedom at 
the North. It was no longer possible for both to dwell 
together in peace under the same flag. Either the Union 
must be dissolved, or those who loved the Union must fight to 
save it ; and, before the war should end, must fight to make 
it wholly free. If freedom should triumph, then lasting peace 
would be restored ; for then the North and the South — no 
longer separated by slavery — would again become one great, 
prosperous, and united people. 

1 The eleven states are Kansas, Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota. 
South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah. They entered 
the Union between January, 1861, and January, 1896. 



VI. 



Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this conti- 
nent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that 
all men are created equal. . . . We here highly resolve . . . that this nation, 
under God, shall have a new birth of freedom ; and that government of the 
people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth." — 
President Lincoln's Address at Gettysburg, November ig, 1863. 



THE WAR OF THE REBELLION. 

(April, 1861, to April, 1865.) 
Abraham Lincoln. 

317. Lincoln's Administration (Sixteenth President, Two Terms, 1 
1861-April 14, 1865) ; the President's Arrival at Washington ; his 
Speech ; his Intentions toward the Seceded States. — President 
Lincoln's friends believed that it would not be safe for him to 
make the last part of his journey to Washington publicly ; and 
he therefore reached the national capital secretly by a special 
night train.' 

At his inauguration (March 4, 1861) he said: "I have no 

1 Abraham Lincoln (see Paragraph 313, note 2) was elected President by the 
Republican party (Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, Vice-President), in i860, over Douglas 
and Breckenridge, the two candidates of the Northern and the Southern Democrats, 
and Bell, the candidate of the " Constitutional Union" party. He was again elected 
by the Republicans, in 1864 (Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, Vice-President), over 
General George B. McClellan, the Democratic candidate. President Lincoln was 
assassinated April 14, 1865, one month and ten days after entering upon his second 
administration. Vice-President Johnson then became President for the remainder of 
the term. President Lincoln, on first entering office, chose William H. Seward, 
Secretary of State; Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury; Gideon Welles, 
Secretary of the Navy; and Simon Cameron, Secretary of War; succeeded, January 
15, 1862, by Edwin M. Stanton. During the Civil War they rendered services of 
inestimable value to the President and to the nation. 

293 



294 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1861. 



purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution 
of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no 
lawful right to do so; and I have no inclination to do so." 
But the President also declared in the same speech that he 
held the Union to be perpetual, and that he should do his 
utmost to keep the oath he had just taken " to preserve, pro- 
tect, and defend 
it." 1 He further- 
more declared that 
the government 
had no intention 
of beginning war 
against the se- 
ceded states, but 
would only use its 
power to re-take 
the forts and other 
national property 
which had been 
seized by the Con- 
federacy. 

At this time the general feeling throughout the Northern 
States was a strong desire for peace, and a willingness to 
assure the Southern States that their Constitutional right 2 to 
hold slaves should not be interfered with. 

First Year of the War, April, 1861, to April, 1862. 

318. Major Anderson's Condition at Fort Sumter ; the First Gun 
of the War ; Surrender of the Fort. — Major Anderson now sent 
a message to the President, stating that he could not long 
continue to hold Fort Sumter unless provisions were sent to 
him. His entire garrison, aside from some laborers, consisted 
of eighty-five, officers and men ; the Confederate force in 

1 See the President's oath of office on page 196, note 4. 

2 See the Constitution, page xiv, section 2, " No person held to service," etc. 




Map of Charleston Harbor. 



1861.] 



SURRENDER OF FORT SUMTER. 



295 



Charleston was about seven thousand. The government imme- 
diately made arrangements to send the needed supplies. As 
soon as Jefferson Davis heard of it, he ordered General Beau- 
regard, 1 in command of the Confederate army at Charleston, 
to demand the surrender of the fort. Major Anderson declined 
to surrender, and at daybreak, April 12, 1861, the Confeder- 
ates fired the first gun at the fort. It was answered by one 




Fort Sumter. 



from Sumter. War had begun. For thirty-four hours nine- 
teen batteries 2 rained shot and shell against the fort, which 
continued to fire back. Notwithstanding this tremendous 
cannonade, no one was killed on either side. But Major 
Anderson, finding that his ammunition was nearly exhausted, 
and having nothing but pork left to eat, decided to give up 
the fort. On Sunday (April 14), he, with his garrison, left the 

1 Beauregard (Boh'reh-gard). 

2 Batteries : a battery is a wall of earth or other fortification having a number of 
cannon mounted on it. A battery may also consist of cannon mounted on wheels 
and drawn by horses. 



296 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [186I. 



fort, and embarked for New York ; he carried with him the 
shot-torn flag under which he and his men had fought. 1 




Confederate Flag. 
(The Stars and Bars.) 



319. President Lincoln's Call for Volunteers ; the Rising of 
the North. — The next day (April 15, 1861) President Lincoln 
called for seventy-five thousand volunteers 
for three months' service — for few then 
supposed that the war, if there was really 
to be a war, would last longer than that. 
In response to the President's call the 
whole North seemed to rise. Men of all 
parties forgot their political quarrels, and 
hastened to the defence of the capital. 
The heart of the people stood by the Union, and by the old 
flag. 2 Within thirty-six hours several companies from Pennsyl- 
vania had reached Washington. They were speedily followed 

by the Sixth Massa- 
chusetts Regiment — 
the first full regiment 
to march. They had 
to fight their way 
through a mob at 
Baltimore. There, on 
April 19,1861, the day 
on which the Revo- 
lutionary battles of 
Lexington and Con- 
cord were fought, the 
first Union soldiers gave their lives for the preservation of 
the nation. 3 




The Flag Anderson carried from Fort Sumter 



1 Just four years, to a day, from that date, Major Anderson (then General Anderson) 
hoisted the same flag over the ruins of Fort Sumter. 2 See page 178, and note 4. 

3 On April 18, 1861, the Confederates seized the United States arsenal at Harper's 
Ferry, and on the 20th the Navy Yard at Norfolk. In both cases, however, the offi- 
cer in command succeeded in burning a large part of the property before the Con- 
federates got it. 



1861.] SECESSION OF FOUR MORE STATES. 297 

Many of the volunteers were lads under twenty, and some 
of them had never left home before. There were many affect- 
ing scenes when the " boys in blue " 1 started for Washington. 
Anxious mothers took tearful leave of sons, whom they feared 
they should never see again. The peril of the Republic touched 
men in all conditions of life, and touched them as nothing ever 
had before. Farmers left their ploughs, mechanics dropped 
their tools, clerks said farewell to their employers, college stu- 
dents threw down their books — all hurried to take their places 
in the ranks, and even lads of fifteen begged to go as drummer- 
boys. 

On the Southern side there were the same anxious leave- 
takings ; for it should be borne in mind that while the people 
of the North were eager to offer their lives for the defence of 
the Union, the people of the South were just as eager to give 
theirs to repel what they considered invasion. 

320. Secession of Four more States; General Butler's "Con- 
trabands." — President Lincoln's call for troops made it neces- 
sary for the remaining slave states to decide at once whether 
they would remain in the Union or go out. Virginia 2 joined 
the Confederacy ; but the western part of the state had voted 
against secession, and later it became a separate state (1863) 
under the name of West Virginia. The Confederate capital 
was soon removed from Montgomery to Richmond. Arkansas, 
Tennessee, and North Carolina followed the example of Vir- 
ginia ; but Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri did 
not secede. By the middle of June the Confederacy consisted 
of eleven states ; no more were added. 

General Butler of Massachusetts held command of Fort 
Monroe 3 in Eastern Virginia. It was the only Union strong- 

1 The Union soldiers wore blue uniforms ; the Confederates, gray. 

2 The secession of Eastern Virginia immensely increased the military difficulties 
with which the North had to contend. Had Virginia remained in the Union (as she 
seemed at one time likely to do), the war would probably have been of short duration. 

3 Commonly called Fortress Monroe, but officially designated Fort Monroe, 



298 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1861. 



hold in the state, and was of the very highest importance. A 
number of slaves came to the General and begged him to set 
them free. He had no authority to give them their liberty. 
On the other hand, he was certain that if he returned these 
slaves to their masters they would use them in carrying on the 
war against the Union. Finally, General Butler got out of the 
difficulty by saying, These negroes are contraband of war; 1 
then putting spades in the hands of the "contrabands," as 
they were henceforth called, he set them to work to strengthen 
the fort. General Butler's action was the first decided blow 
struck at the existence of slavery after the commencement of 
the war. 

321. Condition of the North and of the South with Respect to 
the War. — In regard to the terrible struggle now about to 
begin between the North and the South, each of the combat- 
ants had certain advantages over the other. First, the National 
Government had more than twice as many men to draw on as 
the South. 2 Next, although unprepared for war, the North had 
iron-mills, ship-yards, foundries, machine-shops, and factories 
of all kinds. For this reason it could make everything its 
soldiers would need, from a blanket to a battery. Finally, it 
had the command of the sea, and so with its war-vessels — 
most of which, however, it had to buy or build — it could shut 
up the Southern ports and cut them off from help from abroad. 

The South had the advantage (1) of being prepared for the 
war by having got possession of large quantities of arms and 
ammunition (though it had small means of making any more); 
(2) with the exception of General Scott and a few others 
who stood by the Union, it had a majority of the best-known 

1 Contraband of war : here meaning, forfeited by the customs or laws of war. 
General Butler's idea was that the laws of war forbade his returning anything or any 
property to the Confederates, or to those who sympathized with them, which they 
could use in carrying on the contest. 

2 The total population of the United States in i860 was, in round numbers, 
32,000,000. The Union states had about 23,000,000 ; the eleven seceded states about 
9,000,000, of which nearly 3,500,000 were slaves. 



1861.] NUMBER AND POSITION OF THE TWO ARMIES. 299 



officers in the regular army, — such men as Robert E. Lee of 
Virginia 1 and General Beauregard ; (3) it could send all of its 
fighting men to the front while it kept several millions of 
slaves at work raising food to support them ; (4) the South had 
the great advantage of being able to fight on the defensive, 
on its own soil, and so needed fewer soldiers. General Grant 
thought the two armies, all things considered, were about 
equally matched. 

322. The Number and Position of the Two Armies. — President 
Lincoln's first call for troops was quickly followed by others, 
and the South likewise strengthened its side. By the summer 
of 1861 the Union forces probably numbered about 180,000, 
and those of the Confederates, 150,000. The former were 
under the direction of the veteran General Scott, 2 and the lat- 
ter under General Beauregard. 3 The Union army was mainly 
in Eastern Virginia and Maryland. It extended along the banks 
of the Potomac from Harper's Ferry to the mouth of the river, 
and thence southward to Fort Monroe. The Confederate army 
held the country south of the Potomac, with Richmond as its 
fortified centre. 

In Missouri the national troops, under Generals Lyon, Fre- 
mont, 4 and Halleck, got control of that state, while General 

1 General Lee was born in Virginia, 1807 ; died, 1870. He was a graduate of 
West Point, and served with distinction in the Mexican War (see Paragraph 291). 
When Virginia seceded, Lee, who was then a lieutenant-colonel in the United States 
army, said, " I recognize no necessity for this state of things," yet he felt it his duty 
to go with his state. He said, " With all my devotion to the Union ... I have not 
been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, 
my home." He was made commander-in-chief of the Virginia state forces. In 1862, 
he received — subject to the orders of Jefferson Davis — the entire command of 
"the armies of the Confederacy." His management of the war showed that he was 
a man of great military ability, and of entire devotion to what he understood to be 
his duty. 2 See Paragraph 291. 

3 General Joseph E. Johnston ranked above General Beauregard, and after the 
battle of Bull Run (July 21, 1861), in which he took a leading part, he held com- 
mand of the Confederate army of Virginia until he was wounded at the battle of 
Seven Pines, May 31, 1862, when General Lee took the command. 

4 General Fremont was born at Savannah in 1813. Under the authority of the 



300 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. []861. 

McClellan drove out the Confederates from West Virginia. 
In the southwest the Confederates had got possession of the 
Mississippi from New Orleans to Columbus, Kentucky, by 
building forts on the river banks. They were making prepara- 
tions to do the same on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, 
and their intention was, if possible, to get the entire control 
of Kentucky besides. 

323. The Battle of Bull Run. — The cry at the South was, 
" On to Washington ! " It was answered by the cry of the 
North, " On to Richmond ! " Beauregard had taken up his 
position at Manassas Junction on Bull Run. 1 There he could 
both protect the Confederate capital and threaten Washington. 
He had an army 2 of about 30,000. General McDowell in 
command, in the field, of the Union forces, had about the same 
number. 2 One army, as President Lincoln said, was as "green " 
as the other. McDowell advanced, not because he was ready, 
or because General Scott advised it, but for the simple reason 
that the North was tired of waiting and was impatient to strike 
a decisive blow. 

The battle began on a sweltering hot Sunday in July (July 
21, 1861). At first the Union troops drove the Confederates 
from their position. General Bee, one of the Southern leaders, 
rushing up to General Jackson, cried out, "General, they are 

government he began the exploration of the Rock}- Mountains and of an overland 
route to the Pacific in 1842-1844. In 1845 ne set out on another exploring expedi- 
tion to the Pacific coast. After the outbreak of the Mexican War he, with the 
assistance of American settlers in California, freed that territory from the authority 
of Mexico, and in the summer of 1846 he was appointed governor of the territory. 
By treaty with Mexico in 1847 Fremont secured California to the United States. 
In 1856 he was nominated to the Presidency (as the anti-slavery candidate) by the 
Republican party. From 1878 to 1881 he was governor of Arizona. In the summer 
of 1 861 Fremont issued a proclamation emancipating the slaves of all persons in 
Missouri who were in arms against the Union ; but President Lincoln refused to 
approve it. 1 Run : a small stream or creek. 

2 In the Civil War the Confederates counted in battle only those of their men 
who were present and able to fight ; but the Union officers, on the contrary, counted 
all as present whose names were on their army rolls. See General Grant's " Per- 
sonal Memoirs," II. 290, and " The Century Company's War-Book." I. 4S5. 



f 



1861.] 



BATTLE OF BULL RUN. 



301 



beating us back!" "We will give them the bayonet," said 
Jackson, quietly. Rallying his men, Bee shouted, "Look! there 
is Jackson standing like a stone wall ! " It was true ; and 
"Stonewall" 
Jackson, 1 as the 
Confederate gen- 
eral was ever after 
called, used "the 
bayonet " so ef- 
fectually that the 
Union advance 
was checked, and 
the Southerners 
held their ground 
until heavy rein- 
forcements came 
up, by rail, from 
the Shenandoah 
Valley, struck the 
national troops a 
terrible blow on 
the flank, and 
drove them from 

the hard -fought , SCALE OF MILES , 

r • i i a j 1 25 50 75 100 

field. As the 

Confederate General Johnston says : the Northern army fought 
under the great disadvantage of having to make the attack. 
They fled back to Washington in confusion. 

324. Results of the Defeat at Bull Run. — Some failures are 
simply stepping stones to final success. The defeat at Bull 




1 Gen. T. J. Jackson of Va., born 1824 ; died 1863. He was one of the most re- 
markable men who fought on the side of the South. His motto was, " Do your duty, 
and leave the rest to Providence." His death was the heaviest personal loss the South 
sustained during the war. Lee called " Stonewall" Jackson his "right arm"; in his 
department he ranked as one of the ablest generals in the Confederacy, and was 
respected alike by those who fought under him and those who fought against him. 



302 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1861. 



Run was such a case. Instead of discouraging the people of 
the North, it roused them to new and greater effort. At the 
very time the defeated and disheartened Union soldiers were 
pouring over the Long Bridge across the Potomac into Wash- 
ington, Congress voted to raise 500,000 men and $500,000,000 
to carry on the war. The cry now was, " Drill and organize ! " 
General McClellan came fresh from his victories in West 
Virginia to take command of the army. He taught them the 
great lesson, that enthusiasm without military organization is 
of no more use than steam without an engine. For the next 
six months and more there was no general movement, but, as 
the newspapers said, " all was quiet on the Potomac " ; 1 that 
quiet, however, meant that both sides were now getting ready 
to fight in terrible earnest. 

325. Union Plan of the War. — Gradually a plan for the war 
in defence of the Union took shape ; it was this : 1. To main- 
tain a strict blockade 2 of all Southern ports, and thus cut off 
the South from getting supplies from abroad for carrying on 
the war. This arm of the Union service was of immense help, 
and without it the contest might have dragged on for many 
years longer than it did. 2. To attack and take Richmond. 
3. To open the lower Mississippi, with the Tennessee and the 
Cumberland, which the Confederate forts had closed to naviga- 
tion. 4. To break through the Confederate line in the West, 
march an army through to the Atlantic, and thence northward 
to Virginia. 

326. Blockade Runners ; Confederate War- Vessels ; Seizure of 
Mason and Slidell. — While the Union forces were getting pos- 
session of Fort Hatteras, Port Royal, and other important 

1 On October 21, 1861, a body of Union troops two thousand strong was beaten 
by a large force of Confederates at Ball's Bluff on the Potomac, and on August 10 
of the same year General Lyon was defeated and killed at the battle of Wilson's 
Creek, Missouri. 

2 This blockade was maintained by stationing vessels of war in front of every South- 
ern port, thus, after a time, effectually closing them to all commerce with Europe. 



1861-1862.] 



THE CONFEDERATE WAR-VESSELS. 



303 



points on the Southern coast, fast Southern vessels ran the 
gantlet of the blockade to obtain arms and ammunition ; fur- 
thermore British steamers, specially built for the work, often 
succeeded in evading the Union cruisers and in bringing sup- 
plies for the Confederates. Jefferson Davis had no navy, but 
he succeeded in buying or building a number of war-vessels in 




Running the Blockade — Union Cruiser in the Distance. 



Great Britain which in time destroyed so many merchant ships 
owned in the North that unarmed vessels no longer dared to 
carry the stars and stripes. Later, the Alabama, built in Eng- 
land, was added to the Confederate fleet and inflicted immense 
damage on Union commerce, for which at the end of the war 
England had to pay roundly. 

Early in November (1861) the Confederacy undertook to 
send two commissioners or agents — Mason and Slidell — to 
Europe to get aid for the Southern cause and also to endeavor 



304 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1861-1862. 



to persuade England and France to acknowledge the independ- 
ence of the Confederate states. 

Captain Wilkes of the United States navy stopped the British 
mail steamer T?-ent, on which Mason and Slidell had embarked 
for England, and took them both prisoners. England at once 
demanded that the national government should give them up. 
The North protested, but President Lincoln said, " We fought 
Great Britain in 1812 for doing just what Captain Wilkes has 
done. We must give up the prisoners, to England." It was 
accordingly done, but Mason and Slidell, though they went to 
Europe, failed to accomplish anything of importance for the 
Confederacy. 

327. The Merrimac destroys the Cumberland and the Congress ; the 
Monitor. — When the Confederates seized the Norfolk navy 
yard, 1 they got possession of the United States ship of war 
— Merrimac. Hav- 



the Union war-vessels at the mouth of the James River off 
Fort Monroe. The Union ships were of wood ; they could 
not resist an antagonist that was a floating fort rather than 
an ordinary war-vessel. The balls from their guns made no 
more impression on the iron shell of the monster which 
now attacked them, than a sparrow's bill would make on 
the back of an alligator. The Merrimac sunk the Cumber- 
land, which carried down with her many sick and wounded 

1 See note 3, page 296. The Confederates named the Merrimac the Virginia. 




vessel with a 
very heavy 
double plating 
of iron, they sent 
her out under 
command of 
Captain Buch- 
anan to destroy 



ing covered the 



The " Monitor" and the " Merrimac." 



1862.] 



THE WAR IX THE WEST. 



305 



men; 1 she then destroyed the Congress. The next day (Sun- 
day, March 9, 1S62) the Merrimac returned to complete the 
destruction of the fleet; suddenly a strange little craft ap- 
peared, looking like a ''cheese-box on a raft."' This was 
the Monitor? a new Union vessel made of ircyi. She was 
commanded by Lieutenant Worden. The Merrimac now found 
that she had got her match. After a terrific battle the Con- 
federate vessel 3 steamed back to the navy yard at Norfolk. 

The "little giant" had practically won the day. It was 
perhaps "the most important single event of the war.'' If 
the Merrimac had gained the victory, she might next have 
gone up the Potomac and destroyed the national capital. 
In that case European nations might have acknowledged the 
independence of the South, and demanded that the blockade 
be raised and the ports of the Confederacy thrown open to 
the commerce of the world. The United States now built 
more Monitors, and by the end of the year had a fleet of 
several hundred effective war-vessels of different kinds, both 
on the ocean and on the western rivers. 

328. The War in the West ; Capture of Fort Henry and Fort 

Donelson. — At the West the line of the Confederate army, 
under General A. S. Johnston, stretched from Mill Spring, and 
Bowling Green, in Kentucky, through Fort Donelson on the 
Cumberland, and Fort Henry on the Tennessee, to Columbus 
on the Mississippi. General Halieck, 4 in command of the 

1 See Longfellow's poem on the loss of the Cumberland. 

2 The Monitor was built by Captain Ericsson, the inventor of the screw-propeller 
for steamships, and of the hot-air engine. She was an iron vessel of small size, sit- 
ting so low in the water that scarcely anything of her hull was visible. In the centre 
of her deck stood a revolving iron turret, which carried two cannon, sending solid shot 
weighing one hundred and sixty-six pounds. The invention of the Monitor revolu- 
tionized the construction of war-vessels throughout the world. Few wooden ships of 
war have since been built. 3 Colonel Wood, of the Merrimac (or Virginia), 
speaks of slight damages, but no leak : he thinks " the battle was a drawn one," but says 
" the advantage was with the Monitor.'' See Century Company's War Book. I. 703. 

4 General Halieck was born near Utica, N. Y., in 181 5 ; died 1S72. He graduated 
at West Point and served in the Mexican War. He was appointed a major-general 



306 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1862. 



greater part of the Union forces of the West, resolved to 
break that line, to enter the cotton states, and also to open 
the Mississippi. In January, 1862, General Thomas attacked 
Mill Spring, and drove most of the Confederates out of the 
State of Kentucky. Then General Halleck ordered General 
U. S. Grant, 1 to start from Cairo, Illinois, and attack Fort 
Henry ; but Commodore Foote got there first with his gun- 




SCALE OF MILES 

50 100 200 300 



boats and took it (February 6, 1862). Grant then moved on 
Fort Donelson. The battle raged for three days in succession; 

of the United States army in August, 1861. He received command of the department 
of Missouri (with other states) in November, and of the department of the Missis- 
sippi in March, 1862. From July 11, 1862, to March, 1864, he was general-in-chief of 
the armies of the United States, and had his headquarters at Washington. 

1 General U. S. Grant was born in Ohio, 1S22 ; died in New York, 1885. He was 
a graduate of West Point, and served in the Mexican War (see Paragraph 292), where 
he was promoted for meritorious conduct in battle. In 1859 he entered into the leather 
and saddlery business with his father at Galena, Illinois. On the breaking out of the 
Civil War he raised a company of Union volunteers, and in August, 1861, he was 
made a brigadier-general, and took command of the department of Cairo. His subse- 
quent career will be traced in the pages of this history. 



1862.] 



BATTLE OF PITTSBURG LANDING. 



307 



then the Confederate General Buckner asked Grant what terms 
he would grant him if he gave up the fort. Grant wrote back, 
"No terms except a?i unconditional and immediate surrender can be 
accepted." 1 The Confederates were forced to agree to Grant's 
conditions and the first great Union victory of the war was 
won (February 16, 1862). Fifteen thousand prisoners — "the 
greatest number ever taken in any battle (up to that time) on 
this continent" — were captured, and also large quantities of 
arms. Columbus was now of no use to the Confederates and 
they abandoned it. The surrender of Nashville followed, and 
Kentucky and Tennessee were in the hands of the Union forces. 

329. Battles of Pittsburg Landing and Island Number Ten. — 

Grant, with his victorious army, then moved up the Tennessee 
River to Pittsburg Landing or Shiloh. Here (April 6, 1862) 
he was attacked by General A. S. Johnston and driven back. 
Some hours later General Buell came up with 
a very large force of Union troops. The 
Union men now outnumbered the Confeder- 
ates by seventeen thousand, and the next 
day Grant gained his second great victory. 
In his official report he said, " I am indebted 
to General Sherman for the success of that Map of !s | and No , 
battle." On that hotly contested field showing the canal 

r i 1 r 1 cu * ky the Union 

twenty-five thousand men had fallen dead or troops in order t0 
wounded 2 — among them was General John- take -the confeder- 

„ ate fortifications. 

ston — one of the South s noblest men/ On 
the following day (April 8, 1862) the Confederates on Island 
Number Ten, in the Mississippi, surrendered to Commodore 
Foote, after nearly a month's obstinate fighting. That vic- 
tory was of immense importance in a military point of view, 

1 Hence the name sometimes given General Grant of " Unconditional Surrender 
Grant." See copy of General Grant's letter to General Buckner, opposite page 307. 

2 Union force, 57,000; Confederate, 4.0,000. Union loss, 14,000 ; Confederate, 11,000. 

3 After he was wounded, General Johnston sent his surgeon to attend to some 
wounded Union prisoners ; while he was gone Johnston bled to death. 




308 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1862. 

for it opened the river to the Union vessels down to Vicks- 
burg, a distance of about three hundred miles. 

330. General Summary of the First Year of the War, April, 
1861, to April, 1862. — The Civil War began April 12, 1861, 
with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. After the sur- 
render of that fort, the first great battle was fought in the 
summer at Bull Run, and resulted in the defeat of the Union 
army. In the spring of 1862 the battle between the Me?-ri??iac 
and Monitor occurred, and the Mer)'imac was forced to retreat. 
During the year the Union forces in the West gained the im- 
portant victories of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Pittsburg 
Landing, and Island Number Ten. The general result of 
the year was decidedly favorable to the cause of the Union, 
especially in the West. 

Second Year of the War, April, 1862, to April, 1863. 

331. Expedition against New Orleans; how the City was de- 
fended. — Very early in the spring of 1862 an expedition under 
Captain Farragut 1 and General Butler sailed from Fort Monroe 
to attack New Orleans, the most important city and port in 
the possession of the Confederate government. The approach 
to New Orleans was defended by two strong forts on the Mis- 
sissippi, about seventy-five miles below the city. 2 These forts 
were nearly opposite each other, so that any vessels trying to 

1 Admiral David G. Farragut, born in Tenn. in 1S01 ; died 1870. He entered the 
navy in 1S12. In 1841 he was made commander, and later, captain. In 1862, after 
his famous victory at New Orleans, he was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral, 
then (1864) to that of vice-admiral, and in 1866 to that of admiral — the highest posi- 
tion in the United States navy ; the last two grades were created for him. From 
1823 to the outbreak of the Civil War, Farragut's home, when on shore, was at Nor- 
folk, Virginia. He insisted that Virginia had been forced to secede against the will 
of the majority of the people of the state. From 1861 to the close of his life his 
home was at Hastings-on-the-Hudson. 

2 New Orleans is about one hundred and five miles from the sea. In the war of 
1812 a single fort, at one of the points where those two Confederate forts stood, 
checked the advance of the British fleet for nine days. 



1862.] 



CAPTURE OF NEW ORLEANS. 



309 



pass between them would be exposed to a tremendous cross 
fire from their guns. Just below the forts the Confederates 
had stretched two heavy chain cables, on hulks, across the 
river to check any Union war-ships that might attempt to 
come up, while above the forts they had stationed fifteen 
armed vessels — two of them ironclads like the Merrimac} 
With these defences the city defied attack. 

Captain Farragut had a fleet of nearly fifty wooden vessels. 
It was considered to be the most powerful "that had ever 
sailed under the American flag." General Butler had followed 
him to take command of a force of fifteen thousand men, then 
at Ship Island, 2 near New Orleans, and with them to hold the 
city after its surrender. Farragut's work, with the aid of 
Commander Porter's mortar-boats, 3 was to silence the forts, 
break through the chains, conquer the Confederate fleet, and 
take the city. One of the men who took part in that work 
was Lieutenant George Dewey, now known as Admiral Dewey 
— the "Hero of Manila." 

332. Bombardment of the Forts ; Farragut passes them and de- 
stroys the Opposing Fleet ; Capture of New Orleans. — For six 

days and nights Commander Porter hammered away at the 
forts, and the forts did their best to hammer back. The dis- 
charge of artillery was deafening, and the shock so severe that 
it killed birds and fishes. It even broke glass in windows 
at Balize, thirty miles away. 4 Porter's men were completely 

1 See Paragraph 327. 

2 Ship Island is in the Gulf of Mexico, about one hundred miles east of New- 
Orleans. See Map of the Territorial Growth of the United States. 

3 Mortar-boats : vessels for carrying mortars, short and very wide-mouthed can- 
non for firing shells. The shells used here were hollow cast-iron balls of great size, 
weighing nearly three hundred pounds. They were filled with powder, and so con- 
structed that when they fell they would explode with tremendous violence. The 
shells made a peculiar screaming, hissing noise as they flew through the air, accom- 
panied by a train of smoke by day and of fire by night. When one buried itself in 
the earth inside of one of the forts and then exploded, the result w r as like that of a 
small earthquake. 

4 See Draper's " The American Civil War," II. 331. 



3 TO LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1852. 

exhausted by their labors at the guns, and the moment they 
were off duty would drop down on the deck and fall fast 
asleep, amid the continuous roar of the battle. 

Finally, Captain Farragut determined to make an attempt to 
cut through the chains, and run past the forts. He succeeded 
in doing this, and after a terrific combat, destroyed the Con- 
federate fleet and reached New Orleans. 

The river-front of the city, for a distance of full five miles, 
was all ablaze with burning ships, steamboats, and thousands 
of bales of cotton, which had been set on fire to prevent their 
capture by the Union forces. A party of Farragut's men 
landed, speedily hauled down the " stars and bars " from the 
public buildings, and hoisted the " stars and stripes " in their 
place (April 25, 1862). 

Port Hudson and Vicksburg were now the only important 
fortified points on the Mississippi still held by the Confederates. 
If they could be taken, the great river of the West would once 
more be open from its source to the sea. But both Port 
Hudson and Vicksburg stood on immensely high bluffs, 1 out 
of the reach of the guns of the war-vessels, so that it would be 
exceedingly difficult, if not indeed absolutely impossible, to 
capture them by an attack from the river alone. For this 
reason an expedition against them had to be put off until a 
land force, as well as one by water, could be sent to make the 
attack. 2 

Meanwhile the Union navy had captured several important 
points on the coast of North and of South Carolina. 

333. The War in Virginia ; McClellan's Advance on Richmond ; 
the Peninsular Campaign ; the Weather. — Before Farragut had 
taken New Orleans, General McClellan with one hundred 

1 The banks of the river at Port Hudson are about fifty feet high, and at Vicks- 
burg about two hundred feet high. (See Physical Geography and History, page 50.) 

2 Captain Farragut, after taking New Orleans, went up the river, captured Baton 
Rouge and Natchez, and attempted, but in vain, to take Vicksburg. He was now 
made rear-admiral. 





GENERAL LEE. 



1862.] 



THE WAR IN VIRGINIA. 



311 



thousand men, leaving about as many to defend Washington, 1 
had begun an advance on Richmond from Fort Monroe. His 
plan was to march up the Peninsula — as the Virginians 
call the long and rather 
narrow strip of land be- 
tween the James and 
York rivers. The Con- 
federates did every- 
thing in their power to 
check his advance at 
Yorktown and Wil- 
liamsburg, and, later, 
at Seven Pines or Fair 
Oaks. Meanwhile 
heavy rains compelled 
McClellan's army to 
wade, rather than 
march, forward through mud and water. To increase his 
difficulties the Chickahominy River had overflowed its banks ; 
and as part of his army was on one side of it and part on the 
other, they could not act together to advantage; in fact, both 
parts were floundering about for weeks in a swamp, spending 
much of their time in building roads and bridges, and fighting 
the weather rather than the enemy. An immense number of 
men were lost by sickness. 

334. " Stonewall " Jackson's Raid ; Stuart's Raid ; Results of 
the Peninsular Campaign. — Early in June (1862) General Lee 2 
took command of the Confederate forces, 3 shortly after " Stone- 
wall " Jackson had gained a brilliant success. 4 " Stonewall " 
had started to drive General Banks's Union army out of the 

1 40,000 of these were at Fredericksburg under McDowell. 

2 See page 299, note 1. 

3 General Joseph E. Johnston had been in command since the battle of Bull 
Run, July, 1861. He was wounded at the battle of Seven Pines, May 31, 1862, and 
Lee then took command. 4 See page 301, note 1. 




312 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1862. 



Shenandoah Valley, in Western Virginia, and make the authori- 
ties in Washington think that the capital was in danger of 
immediate attack. With his seventeen thousand men he made 
Banks's nine thousand beat a hasty retreat to the Potomac ; 
and he effectually prevented McClellan from getting any help 
from the forty thousand Union troops at Fredericksburg. 1 
Then Lee sent General Stuart with a dashing body of cavalry 
to see what mischief he could do. He rode clear round 
McClellan's army, tore up the railroads, burned car-loads of 
provisions, and made matters very awkward and uncomfortable 
for that general. 

From June 25 to July 1 (1862), Lee and McClellan were 
engaged in a number of desperate fights around Richmond, 
known as the " Seven Days' Battles " ; 2 Lee captured many 
guns and prisoners ; the Union forces retreated to James 
River, and McClellan and his army were recalled to the neigh- 
borhood of Washington. In these last battles over fifteen 
thousand men had been lost on each side, but the Union army 
had accomplished nothing decisive ; though it had been within 
sight of the spires of the Confederate capital, and of the wooden 
or " Quaker guns " which helped to guard it. 3 Once the alarm 
there was so great that a niece of Jefferson Davis wrote to a 
friend, " Uncle Jeff thinks we had better go to a safer place 
than Richmond." On the other hand, President Lincoln 
called for additional volunteers ; and new forces, shouting, 
"We are coming, Father Abraham, three hundred thousand 
more," began to go forward to the aid of the government. 

1 Note 1, page 311. 

2 In the last of these battles, that at Malvern Hill, Lee's forces were driven back 
with heavy loss. During the Peninsular campaign the armies of Fremont, Banks, 
and McDowell were united under the name of the Army of Virginia, and the com- 
mand of this force was given to General Pope, who had been successful in the 
West. 

3 One of the humorous features of the war was the use of wooden cannon by the 
Confederates in their fortifications at Manassas, Richmond, and elsewhere. It was 
some time before the Union army found out this clever trick of the " Quaker guns," 
which, as a " contraband " said, were " just as good to scare with as any others," 



1662.] THE SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN. 3 1 3 

335. The Second Battle of Bull Run ; Lee's Advance across the 
Potomac ; Battle of Antietam. 1 — Near the last of August (1862), 
Lee advanced his forces against General Pope, 2 and met him 
in the second battle of Bull Run. " Stonewall " Jackson did 
the heaviest of the righting. Pope was defeated ; but fell back 
in good order to Washington, and resigned his command. 

Not long after. Lee crossed the Potomac above Washington, 
his men singing exultingly. " Maryland, my Maryland.'' Lee 
believed that thousands of the Maryland people would welcome 
him as their deliverer, and would join him in a march against 
Philadelphia. In this he was sorely mistaken. In the middle 
of September, ''Stonewall'' Jackson captured Harper's Ferry, 
and thus obtained a quantity of arms and some provisions. 
McClellan now advanced to meet Lee. At Antietam Creek 
(or Sharpsburg) one of the bloodiest battles of the war was 
fought (September 17, 1862) ; and the bodies of the " boys in 
blue " and of the w boys in gray" lay in ranks like swaths of 
grass cut by the scythe. 2 The result of the terrible contest 
was that Lee was compelled to retreat across the Potomac. 
McClellan followed, but he did not move rapidly enough to 
suit the government authorities, and the command of the army 
was taken from him and given to General Burnside. 

336. Battles of Fredericksburg and Murfreesboro. — General 
Burnside set out to march on Richmond, but found the Con- 
federates strongly fortirled 4 on the hills around Fredericksburg, 
on the Rappahannock. In the battle which ensued (Decem- 
ber 13, 1862) he was defeated and forced to fall back toward 
Washington. General Hooker — " Fighting Joe Hooker," as 

1 Antietam 1 An-tee'tarh). 2 See page 312, note 2. 

3 Union forces actually engaged at Antietam are estimated at about 60,000. 
McClellaxrs available strength was probably double that of Lee's. Confederate 
forces, 40.000. See Century Company's War Book. II. 603. Loss nearly 12,00c 
on each side. Authorities differ about the strength of the two armies. •'•Loss''" in 
all cases is understood to include wounded as well as killed. 

4 Burnside had about 116.000 men ; Lee had nearly 80.000 strongly entrenched en 
and near the hills. Burnside lost 12,000 men. and Lee not quite half that number. 



314 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1862-1863. 

his men called him — now received the command of Burnside's 
army. 

This was the last battle of the year in the East. In the West 
the Union forces had beaten the enemy at Pea Ridge, Arkan- 
sas, and had taken Corinth, Mississippi ; the Confederates 
attempted to retake it, but were driven back with frightful 
loss. Bragg invaded Kentucky ; Buell fought him at Perry- 
ville, and Bragg fled with his plunder and took shelter behind 
the Cumberland Mountains. Grant and Sherman then moved 
against Vicksburg, but the Confederate Cavalry cut off Grant's 
supplies and Sherman was repulsed. The Confederate Gen- 
eral Bragg next attacked General Rosecrans at Murfreesboro, 
Tennessee (December 31, 1862). Each had about forty thou- 
sand men. The contest raged for three days. " The battle 
must be won," said Rosecrans. The Union forces held their 
ground, 1 and Bragg retreated in the night. 

337. President Lincoln's Proclamation of Emancipation ; its 
Results. — President Lincoln had entered office resolved, as 
he then said, not to interfere with slavery. But the progress 
of the contest convinced him that slavery was not only the 
real cause, but also the main strength of the war against the 
Union. He believed that the time had now come when it was 
his duty to strike that cause and that strength a decided blow. 
On New Year's Day, 1863, the President issued a proclama- 
tion, freeing all the slaves in those states of the South which 
were still at war against the Union. Thus by a single stroke 
of the pen, over three millions of negroes received (so far as 
the government could then give it) that most precious, yet 
most perilous of all rights — the ownership of themselves. 
No greater event is recorded in the pages of American his- 
tory. After the expiration of nearly a hundred years the 
nation at last made good, without exception, the words of the 
Declaration of Independence, which declare* that "all men 



1 Union loss, 14,000; Confederate, 11,000. 



REDUCED COPY OF A PART OF THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION 

(Jan. |, 1863). 



Note. — President Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation of emancipation 
on Sept. 22, 1862, giving one hundred days warning to the South. In case any State 
chose to return to the Union within that time its slaves were not to be set at liberty 
by the final proclamation. 

The President said : " My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, 
and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without 
freeing any slave, I would do it ; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would 
do it ; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also 
do that." Letter to Horace Greeley, Aug. 22, 1862. 




1863.] 



THE WAR IN THE EAST. 



315 



.are created equal " ; that is, with equal natural rights to "life, 
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." 

Many thousands of negroes were now enlisted in the Union 
army ; but the greater part remained quietly at work on the 
Southern plantations. The freedom of the whole body of 
slaves in the country was not accomplished until after the close 
of the war. Then an amendment to the Constitution 1 declared 
that slavery should no longer exist in the United States. That 
final act of emancipation has proved to be as much an advan- 
tage to the white race, both North and South, as to the negroes 
themselves. Free labor has brought a greater degree of pros- 
perity than any section of the country ever obtained under 
slave labor. Now that the South is no longer hampered by 
having to hold the negroes in bondage, it has found its real 
strength and its true and lasting prosperity. 

338. Summary of the Second Year of the War, April, 1862, 
to April, 1863. — The one great military success of the year 
on the part of the Union forces was the taking of New Orleans. 
In the East, if McClellan and his successors failed to reach 
Richmond, Lee, on the other hand, failed just as completely 
and far more disastrously in his attempted invasion of the 
North. The "Proclamation of Emancipation gave the war a 
new character. Before, the North had been fighting simply 
to restore the Union as it was before the South seceded ; but 
now, it was to restore the Union without slavery — to make 
the nation wholly free. 

Third Year of the War, April, 1863, to April, 1864. 

339. The War in the East ; Battle of Chancellor sville. — In 

the spring of 1863, General Hooker crossed the Rapidan, 
intending to advance on Richmond. But he had no sooner 
started than General Lee, with "Stonewall" Jackson, met him 

1 See Amendments to the Constitution, page xvii, Article XIII. 



3 16 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1863. 



at Chancellorsville. 1 Here a two days' battle was fought 
(May 2-3, 1863). General Hooker had twice as many men 
as the Confederates, but he was badly beaten. He might have 
- gained the victory ; but at a critical 
moment he was stunned by a cannon- 
ball and lay senseless for many hours. 
I During all that time his army "was 
I without a head." 

Lee, with "Stonewall" Jackson's 
help, not only won the battle, but drove 
the Union forces back across the river. 
But it was a dearly bought triumph to 
the Confederates, for Jackson fell. His 
death was the heaviest loss of the kind 
which the South suffered during the war. Chancellorsville was 
the last victory gained by the Confederates in Virginia in the 
"open country." 2 The command of 
the Union army was now given to 
General Meade. 

340. Battle of Gettysburg. — A month 
after the battle of Chancellorsville Lee 
made a second 3 attempt to enter the 
free states and conquer a peace. He 
moved down the Shenandoah Valley 
with about seventy thousand men, 
crossed the Potomac in June (1863), 
and moved into Pennsylvania, intending to strike Harrisburg, 
the capital of the state, and then, if successful, to march on 
Philadelphia. General Meade, with a Union force of about 
ninety thousand, 4 met Lee at Gettysburg. Here one of the 

1 Union forces in the battle, 130,000 ; Confederate, 60,000. But see note on page 
292, on estimates of combatants. Union loss, 17,000; Confederate, about 12,000. 
General Lee gave Jackson all the credit of the victory. 

2 See Comte de Paris, " Hist, of the War," III. 102. 3 See Paragraph 335. 

4 Official returns estimate that Lee had at least 70,000 men, and Meade 90,000. 










J?] 




sy j - - - 1 




/ 


JND TOP" 



The " High-Water Mark Monument." 
Erected at the " clump of trees " on the battlefield of Gettysburg, 1892. 

This monument, dedicated June 2, 1892, was erected to commemorate the repulse, 
by the Union troops, of the famous charge of the Confederate column led by General 
Pickett, commander of a division of Longstreet's corps. 

The monument consists of a large open bronze book supported by two pyramids 
of bronze cannon balls resting on a granite base. 

The book bears the inscription : High- Water Mark of the Rebellion ; then follow 
the names of the officers of the assaulting column on the left-hand page, with the 
names on the opposite page of the Union officers who repulsed that assault. 

Beneath the book, on the front face of the base, a bronze tablet fastened to the 
granite block has this inscription : 

" Commands Honored. In recognition of the Patriotism and Gallantry displayed 
by their respective troops who met and assisted to repulse Longstreet's Assault, the 
following States have contributed to erect this tablet : Maine, New Hampshire, Ver- 
mont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, 
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, and Minnesota." 

The northern face of the monument bears a second tablet giving the names of the 
Union infantry commands of Hancock's and Newton's corps which met Longstreet's 
assault ; and the southern face bears a third tablet giving the names of the Con- 
federate infantry commands of Longstreet's corps which constituted the charging 
column. 



The battle of Gettysburg is generally considered as having been the turning-point 
in the terrible struggle for the mastery between the Confederate forces fighting for 
secession and the National forces fighting to preserve the Union. 

The battles of July ist and 2d were indecisive ; the battle of the third and last 
day forced Lee to retreat. The efforts of the Confederates reached their high-water 
mark at Gettysburg, — henceforth they continued to recede. 

The monument appropriately marks the spot reached by Armistead, who was 
leading the Confederate advance. 

With his cap on the point of his sword he had penetrated a short distance 
within the Union lines, when he fell riddled with bullets. Then came a hand-to- 
hand fight which lasted a few minutes, and the remnant of Pickett's column threw 
down their arms. Lee's last desperate effort had failed. It was the beginning of 
the end. 



A portion of the battlefield of 
burial of those who fell there in 
cated November 19, 1863. On that 
his ever-memorable address, of which 
one of the panels of the Soldiers' 

" It is rather for us to be here 
ing before us — that from these 
devotion to that cause for which 
of devotion ; that we here highly 
have died in vain ; that this nation, 
of freedom ; and that government 
the people, shall not perish from 




Gettysburg was set apart for the 
defense of the Union. It was dedi- 
occasion President Lincoln delivered 
the following words are inscribed on 
Monument. 

dedicated to the great task remain- 
honored dead we take increased 
they gave the last full measure 
resolve that these dead shall not 
under God, shall have a new birth 
of the people, by the people, for 
the earth." 



The "Soldiers' Monument" 
the National Cemetery on the Battlefield of Gettysburg. 



1863.] THE SURRENDER OF VICKSBURG. 3 1 7 

most important and decisive battles of the war took place. 
Both sides fought with the most desperate courage. The 
Confederates held Seminary Ridge ; the Union men, Cemetery 
Ridge, nearly opposite. The battle lasted three days (July 
1-3, 1863). On the first day, the Confederates, having far 
greater numbers, gained the advantage. On the second 
day, Lee's men made a rush to get Little Round Top, but 
were beaten back with heavy loss. Later, they got a foot- 
hold on Culp's Hill, but were soon driven out. On the 
third day, Lee sent General Pickett, with a force of fifteen 
thousand Confederates, to attack General Hancock on 
Cemetery Ridge. To reach the ridge they had to cross a 
mile of open ground. They came forward steadily, silently, 
under a terrible fire from the Union guns. Their ranks were 
ploughed through and through with shot and shell, but the 
men did not falter. They charged up the slight rise of ground 
and broke a part of the Union line ; but they could go no 
further, and Pickett, with the fragments of his division, — for 
only fragments were left, — fell back defeated. It was the 
end of the most stubbornly fought battle of the war ; nearly 
fifty thousand brave men had fallen 1 in the contest ; Lee had 
failed ; he retreated across the Potomac, and never made 
another attempt to invade the North. 2 

341. The Surrender of Vicksburg and Port Hudson. — While 
the great battle of Gettysburg was going on, another battle of 
almost or quite equal importance was being fought at Vicks- 
burg, on the Mississippi. Vicksburg and vicinity were held by 
a strong Confederate force under General Pemberton. Early 
in the spring ( 1863) General J. E. Johnston (then at Chatta- 
nooga, Tennessee) moved with an army to join Pemberton. In 
a number of masterly battles Grant defeated Pemberton before 
Johnston could unite with him. He then forced him to retreat 

1 Union loss, 23,003 ; Confederate loss, 20,451. 

2 For this great victory and the one that followed it, President Lincoln called for 
a day of national thanksgiving and prayer. 



3l8 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1863. 



to Vicksburg, and at the same time drove Johnston off the 
ndd. I or several weeks following, Grant and Sherman, 1 with 
a total force of over seventy thousand, besieged Vicksburg. 
During that time the Union men were shelling the city night 
and day. Food had become so scarce that the Confederate 
troops had but one " cracker " and a small piece of raw pork 
a day, and the town was so knocked to pieces with shot and 
shell that the women and children were forced to live in caves 

dug in the earth. 
They, too, were re- 
duced to a few 
mouthfuls of food 
a day ; and when 
"mule steaks " gave 
out, many had to 
choose between eat- 
ing cats and rats or 
dying of starvation. 
Out of less than 
thirty thousand men 
the Confederates 
had six thousand 
sick or wounded in 
hospital, besides 
great numbers unfit 
for active duty. 
They could hold 
out no longer, and on July 4 (1863), Vicksburg surrendered. 
The Union troops "felt that their long and weary marches, 
hard fighting, ceaseless watching by night and day " were 
over. Grant took nearly thirty-two thousand prisoners. Fam- 

1 General W. T. Sherman was born at Lancaster, Ohio, in 1820. He graduated 
at West Point in 1840, and entered the regular army. He commanded a Union 
brigade at Bull Run, and, under Grant, won the battle of Pittsburg Landing (see 
page 307). In May, 1862, he was made a major-general. He died in 1891. 




1863.] 



SURRENDER OF VICKSBURG. 



319 



ine had forced them to give up their stronghold ; had they not 
given it up, Grant's army would have dug down of" mown up 
this Gibraltar of the Confederacy. Before noon of that day 
the stars and stripes were hoisted over the Court House, and 
the Union men were distributing bread to the hungry, and 
making the place ring with, — 

" Yes, we '11 rally round the flag, boys, 
We '11 rally once again, 
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom." 

Among those that took part in the celebration of that vic- 
tory was the war-eagle "Old Abe." He was a pet bird, the 




hero of many battles, and was carried, perched on the flag, by 
one of the color-bearers of the Eighth Wisconsin Regiment. 
He had napped his wings and screamed defiance in the thick- 
est of the fight, and now he exulted with the " boys in blue " 
over the result. It was a great " Fourth " for the Union. 

Port Hudson surrendered five days later (July 9, 1863), and 
thus the second part of the Union plan of the war was accom- 



320 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1863. 

plished. The first had been to shut the ports of the South by 
the blockade ; the second, to open the Mississippi River. This 
had now been done, and the great river flowed in peace from 
Minnesota to Louisiana, and from Louisiana to the sea. 

342. Draft Riots ; Morgan's Raid ; Chickamauga ; Siege of 
Chattanooga. — The last call of President Lincoln for volun- 
teers did not bring anything like the number of men needed, 
and in July (1863), the government began to draft 1 the troops 
required. In New York City mobs of rioters resisted the 
draft, but they were finally put down by armed force, and the 
necessary men for the army were in the end obtained. In 
the South drafting had long been going on, and nearly every 
able-bodied man was forced to serve in the war. 

During the same month General Morgan with a body of 
Confederate cavalry made a raid through Tennessee and Ken- 
tucky into Indiana and Ohio, burning mills, factories, and 
bridges, tearing up the railroads, and destroying a large amount 
of property ; but he was at last captured and his men scattered. 

In the course of the summer General Rosecrans, with a Union 
army, had got possession of Chattanooga, in Southern Ten- 
nessee. He then set out in pursuit of the Confederate General 
Bragg, who was stationed with his army at Chickamauga, just 
over the Georgia line. Here a severe battle was fought (Sep- 
tember 19-20, 1863). Bragg had the most men and defeated 
Rosecrans. The Union forces would have suffered still heavier 
loss had it not been for the bravery of General Thomas — 
"the Rock of Chickamauga," as his men called him; he held 
his position as stubbornly as a rock, and saved a large part of 
the army from destruction. The Union forces now retreated 
to Chattanooga, and were shut up there by Bragg, who be- 
sieged them for two months. 

343. Battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge ; Sher- 
man's Raid; Grant, General-in-Chief. — The Confederates held 

1 See page 189, note 6. 



1863-1864.] SUMMARY OF THIRD YEAR OF THE WAR. 321 

Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, which overlook the 
beautiful Chattanooga Valley. General Hooker had come 
from Virginia, and, under Grant, he, with Sherman and Thomas, 
drove the enemy from the mountains in two battles (November 
24-25), — one the famous "battle above the clouds," 1 the other 
the magnificent charge of the Union troops up Missionary 
Ridge. The Confederates now retreated to Dalton, Georgia. 

In February, 1864, General Sherman made a raid 2 across 
Mississippi, and effectually destroyed the railroads centering 
at Meridian, by ripping up the rails, burning bridges, machine- 
shops, and locomotives. So little was left of the place that 
one of the inhabitants said, " Sherman did n't simply smash 
things, but he just carried the town off with him." This 
rendered the Confederates in that quarter helpless to attack 
him at Chattanooga. Shortly after this (March 3, 1864), 
Grant was made general-in-chief of the Union armies. At last 
the right man has been found. He will advance on Richmond, 
and Sherman will soon begin his famous march from Chatta- 
nooga to Atlanta, and from Atlanta to the sea. 

344. Summary of the Third Year of the War, April, 1863, to 
April, 1864. — At the East the Confederates had gained the 
battle of Chancellorsville, but lost "Stonewall" Jackson. Lee's 
second invasion of the North had ended in his defeat at Gettys- 
burg ; at the same time Grant and Sherman were taking Vicks- 
burg. Port Hudson surrendered a few days later, and the 
Mississippi was open through its entire length. In the South- 
west, the Union forces, after severe battles at Chickamauga, 
Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge, were successful. 
Grant was now made general-in-chief of the Union forces ; he 
went East to manage the war there, and left Sherman in charge 
of the West. 

1 That of Lookout Mountain. Union forces in the campaign 60,000, loss 5800 ; 
Confederate 40,000 (?), loss 6700. 

2 From Vicksburg, destroying the roads on the way. 



322 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1864. 



Fourth and Last Year of the War, April, 1864, 
to April, 1865. 

345. Grant and Sherman agree on a "Hammering Campaign." 

— Early in the spring of 1864, Grant and Sherman met and 
decided on a plan of action. The Confederates had been 

driven from the 



Chambersbur 

N N S 




Mississippi; they 
now had two 
chief centres of 
power left. Lee, 
with an army of 
about sixty thou- 
sand, held the 
southern b an ks 
of the Rapidan 
and the Rappa- 
hannock, thus 
guarding Rich- 
mond, and all the 
country south of 
it. Johnston, with 
about seventy- 
five thousand, 
held Dal ton, 
Georgia (a town 

_____ a short distance 

ih 50 75 100 . , _,_ 

below Chatta- 

nooga, Tennessee), and all the country south and east of it. 
Grant and Sherman agreed to divide their work : the first, 
with one hundred and twenty thousand men, was to move on 
Lee and compel him to surrender Richmond ; the second, then 
at Chattanooga with an army of one hundred thousand, was 
to march the same day on Johnston, beat him, and then push 
his way through to the sea. This was " the famous hammer- 



SCALE OF MILES 



1864.] 



BATTLES OF THE WILDERNESS. 



323 



ing campaign." 1 Grant and Sherman agreed "to hammer" 
together, "to hammer" with all their might, and never to 
leave off "hammering," until they had given the finishing 
blow, and permanently established peace, union, and freedom 
for the whole country. 

346. The Battles of the Wilderness. — South and east of the 
Rapidan is a desolate region known as "the Wilderness." 
Much of it is covered with a scraggy growth of oak, pine, and 
tangled underbrush. Into the Wilderness Grant's army began 
to advance for the conquest of Richmond (May 4, 1864), and 
sitting on a log in that wilderness Grant telegraphed to Sherman 
at Chattanooga to begin his march into Georgia. From that 
time until June, or about a month in all, Grant was " hammer- 
ing " at Longstreet and other noted fighters of the Confederate 
army, first in the thick of the Wilderness itself, then at Spott- 
sylvania Court-House (May 8-18, 1864), then at Cold Harbor 
(June 3, 1864), on the edge of the fortifications of Richmond, 
where, it is said, ten thousand of the " men in blue " fell in 
twenty minutes. It was a terrible series of battles, costing 
the Union army a loss of many thousand men. Lee lost fewer 
men because he knew the country perfectly, and was acting 
on the defensive. Grant had vowed that he would not turn 
back, but would fight it out on that line if it took all summer. He 
did not turn back ; but he had to give up his direct line of 
advance and take another. Lee had retreated, and entrenched 
himself inside the fortifications of Richmond ; in order to draw 
him out to a battle in the open field, or to find a more favorable 
point of attack, Grant now moved round to Petersburg on the 
south of the Confederate capital. 

347. Captain Winslow sinks the AlSbama ; Early's Raid. — 

Petersburg was strongly fortified, and Grant had to lay siege 
to it with shot and shell as he did to Vicksburg. While he 

1 " Hammering " in the sense of giving the Confederates no rest ; Grant did this, 
largely, by direct attack ; Sherman, largely, by indirect, or flank attack. 

»^ — - ■ 



324 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1864. 



was busy in this way, Captain Winslow of the United States 
war-ship Kearsarge attacked the Alabama, 1 commanded by 
Captain Semmes. The fight took place off the northern coast 
of France (June 19, 1864). Captain Winslow gained the victory 
and sunk the vessel that had destroyed so many Northern 
merchant ships. 

About the beginning of July (1864), Lee despatched Gen- 
eral Early with a strong force to make a dash on Washington. 




Grant shelling Petersburg. 
(Notice the defences formed of stakes and trees in front of the Union Army.) 



He succeeded in getting within half a dozen miles of that 
fort-girdled city, and then had to retreat up the Shenandoah 
Valley. He carried off with him about five thousand horses 
and two thousand cattle to recruit the fast-failing fortunes of 
the men in " Dixie's larad." 2 Later in the same month Early's 

1 See Paragraph 326. 

2 " For Dixie's land we take our stand, 
And live or die for Dixie ! " 
This was one of the most famous of the Confederate war-songs ; it was originally 
a negro melody sung in praise of the South or " Dixie's Land." 



1864.] 



sheridan's ride. 



325 



cavalry made a raid into Pennsylvania, and burned Chambers- 
burg. 

348. Sheridan's Raid in the Shenandoah Valley. — Grant now 
(August 7, 1864) sent General Sheridan 1 with a strong force 
of Union cavalry to lay waste the Shenandoah Valley. This 
valley was one of the chief strongholds of the Confederates, 
and Grant was determined to destroy everything in it which 
could support their men. Sheridan went to work with a will, 
and in the course of a few weeks he had burned so many barns 
and mills filled with grain, and driven off so many sheep and 
cattle, that it was said, " If a crow wants to fly down the val- 
ley, he must carry his provisions with him." Could "Stone- 
wall " Jackson have re-visited that beautiful country, — the 
pride of his heart, — he would have wept fierce 'tears over its 
heaps of desolate ashes, as the women and children of Cham- 
bersburg had wept and wrung their hands at the sight of their 
blazing homes. 

349. The Petersburg Mine ; Sheridan's Ride. — Meanwhile (July 
30, 1864) General Burnside had undermined the Confederate 
fortifications at Petersburg, and placed eight thousand pounds 
of powder in the mine. When it was exploded, it made a deep 
chasm or " crater " nearly two hundred feet long. The Union 
soldiers rushed into the breach, hoping to enter the city ; but 
the Confederate fire made it a " slaughter-pen " and a gigantic 
grave for hundreds of brave fellows, while those who got out 
found themselves prisoners in the hands of Lee's army. 

In September (1864) there was fighting in the Shenandoah 
Valley between Sheridan and Early, in which Sheridan gained 
the day. Later, Early took advantage of Sheridan's absence 
from his army to surprise the Union force at Cedar Creek in 
the Valley. They retreated, and the retreat soon became a 

1 General Philip H. Sheridan was of Irish descent, and was born in Albany, New 
York, in 1831 ; died 1S88. He graduated at West Point in 1853. In 1864 he was 
appointed commander of all the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, and after his 
famous "ride" to Winchester he was made a major-general. 



326 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1864. 

panic. Sheridan was then at Winchester, about twenty miles 
away. He heard the cannon with their 

"terrible grumble, and rumble, and roar, 
Telling the battle was on once more." 1 

Mounting his horse, he hurried to the scene of disaster. As 
he came up, a great cheer greeted him from the Union cav- 
alry. "We must face the other way!" shouted Sheridan to 
the retreating men. They did face the other way, and so 
effectually that they speedily drove the Confederates "flying " 
out of that part of the Valley. 

350. The War in the West ; Sherman's Advance to Atlanta. — 

According to agreement Sherman began his advance from 
Chattanooga to Atlanta the same day (May 4, 1864) that 
Grant marched forward into the Wilderness. Atlanta was 
not only a great railroad centre, but it was " the chief seat of 
the machine-shops, foundries, and factories of the Confeder- 
acy." For this reason its capture would be one of the severest 
blows to the Southern armies that the Union forces could 
strike. 

Sherman advanced slowly. His march was through a rough, 
mountainous country, and there were sharp battles fought at 
Resaca (May 14-15, 1864), at Dallas (May 25-28, 1864), and 
at Kenesaw Mountain (June 27, 1864); but the Confederates 
could not check him in his march. Of the two the soldiers 
would much rather have fought more battles and had less rain. 
For three weeks it poured most of the time night and day ; 
while he was marching, every man had a rivulet streaming down 
his back, and, as the army carried no tents, he was fortunate 
when night came if he did not have to sleep in a puddle. 

As fast as the Confederates fell back they tore up the rail- 
road track and burned the bridges; but Sherman's men rebuilt 

1 See Read's poem of " Sheridan's Ride " in Ginn & Co.'s " Heroic Ballads " ; then 
read Sheridan's own modest account of the " ride " in his " Personal Memoirs," II. 
66-92. See map showing the Shenandoah Valley on page 322. 



1864.] 



FARRAGUT ENTERS MOBILE BAY. 



327 



them so rapidly that "the whistle of the locomotives was always 
following close on the heels of Johnston's soldiers." 

351. Sherman takes Atlanta; Farragut enters Mobile Bay. — 
After a series of battles with Hood, to whom Jefferson Davis 
had now given the command in place of Johnston, Sherman 
took Atlanta (^September 2, 1S64). He had advanced a hun- 
dred miles from Chattanooga, and in that short distance each 
side had lost about thirty thousand men: that meant that every 





Farragut's Letter Home, written just before the Battle. 

I am going into Mobile Bay in the morning if " God is my leader," as I hope he is. 

D. G. Farragut. 

mile had cost the two armies six hundred killed and wounded. 
Sherman applied the torch to Atlanta, burning the foundries, 
mills, and machine-shops, but sparing dwelling-houses and 
churches. This destruction crippled the Southern armies. 
From that time they fought like a man with one of his arms 
broken : they were as brave, as resolute as ever, but they were 
losing ground every day. 

Meanwhile Admiral Farragut attacked Mobile (August 5, 
18641. stationing himself in the rigging of his vessel, where 
he could see every move in the battle ; after a hard light he 



328 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1864. 



forced his way with his fleet past the forts, and took possession 
of the harbor. It was the admiral's last and greatest battle. 
It completely closed the port of Mobile 1 against supplies sent 
to the Confederates from abroad. It was thus one more im- 
portant step taken toward compelling the final surrender of 
the South. 



352. Sherman's March from Atlanta to the Sea. — After the 
fall of Atlanta, Jefferson Davis ordered the Confederate army 
to abandon the State of Georgia, his intention being to strike 




An Incident of the March through Georgia. 



General Thomas, who held Nashville. He hoped in this way 
to compel Sherman to turn back to help Thomas. But Sher- 
man believed that " the Rock of Chickamauga " 2 was quite 
able to take care of himself; he therefore resolved to push 
forward. About the middle of November, 1864, Sherman cut 
the telegraph and railroad lines which connected him with the 
North. Thus " detached from all friends, dependent on its 

1 All the ports of the South had long been blockaded by Union war-vessels, but 
in some cases " blockade-runners " succeeded in evading these vessels, and thus a 
certain amount of secret commerce was carried on. 2 See Paragraph 342. 



1864.] Sherman's march from Atlanta. 329 

own resources and supplies," his army set out on their great 
march to the sea, two hundred miles distant in a direct line. 
For four weeks Sherman and his men disappeared. The North 
knew nothing of his movements. But Grant had faith that 
his friend would not get hopelessly lost, and that sometime 
the country would hear from him. 

Meanwhile Sherman was going forward with sixty thousand 
veterans, plenty of provisions, and practically no force to resist 
him. He cut a clean swath sixty miles wide 1 from Atlanta to 




Map of Sherman's March. 



Savannah, destroying railroads and whatever else could be of 
use to the Confederates, and eating the plantations and towns 
on the way bare of everything, — - hay, cows, pigs, chickens ; 
whatever, in fact, horse or man could devour disappeared 
before the advancing army. Along this broad track of deso- 
lation — the stern result of war — several thousand negroes 
followed in the wake of " Massa Sherman," shouting and 
singing as they trudged on. 

1 " So we made a thoroughfare for Freedom and her train, 
Sixty miles in latitude, three hundred to the main." 

— Soldiers' Song, Marching through Georgia. 



330 LEADING FACTS OF AFRICAN HISTORY. [1864. 



353. Thomas destroys Hood's Army. — While Sherman was 
pressing forward, the Confederate General Hood — one of 
the best fighters in the South — moved from the vicinity of 
Atlanta into Tennessee to attack Thomas. A battle was 
fought at Franklin (November 30, 1864), without any very 
decisive results. Then Hood besieged Thomas in Nashville. 
Thomas was slow, but when he did strike, it was with sledge- 
hammer force. He attacked Hood (December 15-16, 1864), 
and cut his army all to pieces. The miserable remnant, 
ragged, barefooted, wet to the skin by incessant winter rains, 
shivering and starving, escaped, as best they could, leaving 
their sick and wounded to die along the roadside. This ended 
the war in Tennessee; the Confederacy from eleven states had 
now practically shrunk to three, — - Virginia, and North and 
South Carolina ; the rest were either inactive, as in the case 
of Florida and Texas, or they were under the control of the 
military power of the United States. 

354. Sherman takes Savannah and moves Northward. — In a 

little less than a month from the day when he left Atlanta, 
Sherman reached Savannah. He stormed and took Fort Mc- 
Allister on the south of the city (December 13, 1864), and nine 
days later he sent the following message to the President, — 

" Savannah, Georgia, Dec. 22, 1864. 
"To his Excellency, President Lincoln, Washington, D. C: 

" I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah, with 
one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition; also about 
twenty-five thousand bales of cotton. 

"W. T. Sherman, Major-General" x 

Sherman's men had long before come to the conclusion that 
the seacoast was not their final destination, and would call out 
to the General as he rode past, " Uncle Billy, I guess Grant is 
waiting for us at Richmond ! " 2 

1 General Sherman sent this message by a vessel to Fort Monroe. It reached the 
President on Christmas eve. 2 See Sherman's " Memoirs," II. 179. 



Sherman's Announcement of Lee's Surrender. 



The General commanding announces to the army that he has 
official notice from General Grant that General Lee surrendered 
to him his entire army, on the 9th inst, at Appomattox Court- 
House, Virginia. 

Glory to God and our country, and all honor to our comrades 
in arms, toward whom we are marching ! 

A little more labor, a little more toil on our part, the great 
race is won, and our Government stands regenerated, after four 
long years of war. 



The above order was issued while the Union army was marching from 
Goldsboro', N. C, in pursuit of Johnston's army. Johnston did not make 
a stand, but surrendered near Durham Station, about twenty-five miles 
northwest of Raleigh, N. C, April 26, 1865. 

When Sherman's men learned that Lee had surrendered they went wild 
with excitement. They shouted, they flung up their caps, they turned 
somersaults in their delight. 

The whole land seemed full of rejoicing that the long, terrible struggle 
was practically over. Confederate as well as Union soldiers were glad to 
see peace at hand; and a Southern woman, who heard the hurrahs of 
Sherman's " boys in blue " as they marched past her house, looked upon 
her wondering children and said, while tears streamed down her cheeks, 
" Now father will come home." — (See General Jacob D. Cox : "The March 
to the Sea." 



[Special Field Orders, No. 34.] 



Headquarters Military Division of the 
Mississippi, in the Field, Smithfleld, 
North Carolina, April 12, 1865. 



W. T. Sherman, Major-General commanding. 




JL iubo-c~~ (Lo^*^ (tf/tn^ turfclZ 
/^W/^t^vo Cf/tru~ MrrtL 00^. tl<i~- 

LEE'S LETTER TO GRANT RESPECTING THE SURRENDER OF THE 
CONFEDERATE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA. 



1865.] 



THE END OF THE WAR. 



331 



They were right, and on the 1st of February, 1865, Sherman 
set out with his army northward. It was a seven weeks' march 
through mud, rain, and swamps. He reached Columbia, the 
capital of South Carolina, about the middle of February, and 
ordered the destruction of all buildings which might be of use 
to the Confederates in prolonging the war. Unfortunately the 
town caught fire, and in spite of all the efforts of the Union 
army to extinguish the flames the greater part of the place was 
burned to the ground. On his advance Sherman had to fight 
Johnston with a strong Confederate force near Goldsboro, 
North Carolina (March 19, 1865). Meanwhile Charleston 
and Wilmington had been captured by Union forces : the 
Confederacy had lost its last seaports. 

About a week later (March 27, 1865), General Sherman, 
leaving his victorious army at Goldsboro, went to City Point, 
on James River, Virginia, to consult with Grant. A month 
later (April 26, 1865) Johnston surrendered to Sherman near 
Raleigh, North Carolina. 

355. The End of the War. — Sheridan now made a raid south 
through the Shenandoah Valley, in which he destroyed the 
railroad and canal from Lynchburg, on the west of Richmond, 
nearly up to the Confederate capital. This had the effect of 
cutting off a large part of the provisions for Lee's army. Sheri- 
dan next (March 29, 1865) made a similar raid to the south of 
Richmond. Lee had now only forty thousand men to Grant's 
one hundred thousand. While the Confederate general was 
trying to guard against Sheridan, Grant threw his whole force 
on Petersburg and captured it (April 2, 1865). Lee retreated 
from Richmond, and the next day (April 3, 1865) Grant's 
forces entered the capital of the Southern Confederacy, and 
raised the old flag over the city. Jefferson Davis escaped to 
North Carolina. 1 Lee's forces were now completely broken 

1 Jefferson Davis was captured in Georgia, May n, 1865. He was sent to Fort 
Monroe ; but was released two years later. By the end of May all the Confederate 
forces had surrendered and disbanded. None of the leaders or men engaged in the 



332 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [j865. 



up ; and many of his men were so weak from want of food that 
they could not shoulder a musket On April 9, 1865, Lee sur- 
rendered to Grant at' Appomattox Court-House, a little place 
about seventy-five miles west of -Richmond. Nothing could be 
more nobly generous than the terms given by General Grant to 
the defeated Confederates. The only conditions he demanded 
were that the men should lay down their arms and return to 
their homes. Those who had horses were permitted to take 
them with them ; for, as Grant remarked, they " would need 
them for the ploughing." Finally, the victorious general issued 
an order to serve out twenty-five thousand rations of food to 
Lee's half-starved men. That meant that the strife was over, 
and that peace and brotherhood were restored. Five days 
afterward (April 14, 1865), General Anderson hoisted the identi- 
cal flag over Fort Sumter, under whose starry folds he had fought 
against Beauregard. It was exactly four years to a day since 
the Confederates had won their first victory in the Civil War. 

Thus ended the great contest, which had cost in all probably 
over half a million of lives and thousands of millions of dollars. 1 
The triumphant joy of those who had fought to save the Union 
was quenched in tears; for on the evening following the celebra- 
tion at Fort Sumter (April 14, 1865), the President was shot by 
an assassin. 2 Many of those who had fought against him in the 
South wept at his death. He was the friend of every Ameri- 
can ; none of us or of our children, North or South, will ever 
know a more unselfish or a truer man than Abraham Lincoln. 

War of Secession were brought to trial for having taken up arms against the national 
government ; but Henry Wirz, the Swiss commandant at Andersonville. Georgia, was 
charged with cruel treatment of Union prisoners, and was tried and convicted by 
court-martial; he was hanged, November 10, 1865. 

1 The total war debt of the North was nearly $3.000,000,000 ; this, however, repre- 
sents but a part of the expense. The greatest number of men engaged in the Union 
armies at any one time was about 1,000,000 ; in the Confederate, about 700,000. 

2 President Lincoln was shot at the theatre b}' John Wilkes Booth, an obscure 
actor, who was the leader of a conspiracy for the assassination of the President, Vice- 
President, the cabinet, and General Grant. Booth was pursued and shot, four of 
the other conspirators were hanged, and four imprisoned. 



1«65.] THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH IN THE WAR. 333 



356. The North and the South in the War. — In the North 
there was sore anxiety for friends who might never return ; and 
sisters, wives, and mothers were mourning for those who had 
fallen on the battle-field or died in prison. In the South there 
was the same terrible loss of life, the same mourning for those 
who had left their homes never to return. The material priva- 
tions and sufferings of the war fell mainly on the South. Except 
at Gettysburg all the fighting was done on Southern soil. No 
armies marched through the North. Two new states — West 
Virginia (1863) and Nevada (1864) — had been added to the 
Union. All business went on as usual, or with increased 
activity. Every seaport was open, and trade and commerce 
flourished. There were many quiet homes not directly touched 
by the hardships and horrors of the struggle, where the progress 
of the war was only known by newspaper reports. 

Thanks to the financial ability and the unfailing energy of 
Secretary Chase, the government never lacked means to carry 
on the contest. Whatever money could do for the equipment 
and comfort of the Union forces was done without stint or 
murmur, even when the expenses exceeded $3,500,000 a day. 

In addition to all this care for the men by the government, 
the Sanitary and the Christian Commissions were unwearied 
in their great work of love and mercy among the wounded and 
the sick. Once in hospital no one was ever asked on which 
side he had fought ; but tender hands ministered to his needs, 
and soothed his sufferings, whether he wore the "blue " or the 
"gray." 

With the people of the South all was different. Their ports 
were blockaded, their business ruined. The country had no 
money, no manufactures ; the negroes had been set free. In 
their extremity Southern ladies cut up their carpets to make 
blankets and clothes for the soldiers, and churches gave their 
bells to be cast into cannon. Long before the final surrender 
there was sore want everywhere throughout the South, and 
everywhere the people were either suffering from the destruc- 



334 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [i860. 



tion necessarily caused by invading armies or from the dread 
of such invasion. It is a noble evidence of the fortitude of the 
American character that the Southern people, however mis- 
taken in their purpose, "fought," as General Grant says, "so 
bravely, so gallantly and so long." 1 

357. Summary of the Fourth and Last Year of the War, April, 
1864, to April, 1865. — This year was marked by Grant and 
Sherman's "hammering campaign," which ended in the destruc- 
tion of the Confederate power in the West and in the East, and 
was followed by the surrender of Lee. The surrender of John- 
ston 2 soon after ended the war, and established the Union on 
a solid foundation of freedom for all men. 

1 See General Grant's " Personal Memoirs," II. 426. 

2 In his last orders to his troops. General Johnston said : " I earnestly expect you 
to observe faithfully the terms of pacification agreed upon, and to discharge the 
obligations of good and peaceful citizens as well as you have performed the duties of 
thorough soldiers in the field/' Like a .brave officer, Johnston led the way in the 
execution of this order by his own example. He died March 21, 1891, shortly after 
he had acted as pall-bearer at the funeral of his friend, General W. T. Sherman. 



VII. 



"America is another word for Opportunity." — R. W. Emerson, Essay on 
American Civilization. 



RECONSTRUCTION.— THE NEW NATION. 
(1865 to the Present Time.) 

Andrew Johnson. 

358. Johnson's Administration (Seventeenth President, April 
15, 1865, to 1869). Difficulty of the President's Task; the Grand 
Review ; Disbanding the Armies. — The untimely death of Presi- 
dent Lincoln made Andrew Johnson 1 the head of the nation. 
The position to which the new President was thus suddenly 
called, was peculiarly hard and trying ; for if the great heart 
of Lincoln had to bear the sad burden of four years of civil 
war, his successor had to undertake the delicate and difficult 
work of reconstruction, — that is, of restoring the seceded 
states to their former places in the Union. 

Now that the war was over, the first thing to be done was 
to disband the armies. But multitudes wished to see the brave 
men who had fought to save the nation ; and late in May a 
grand review of Grant's and of Sherman's troops took place 
in Washington. 

For the first time since the beginning of the war, the trium- 

1 Andrew Johnson was born at Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1808 ; died 1S75. He 
learned the tailor's trade and moved to Greenville, Tennessee. He never attended 
school, but was entirely self-educated. He was elected to Congress in 1843, by tne 
Democrats, and to the United States Senate in 1857. When the Civil War broke 
out he took a decided stand against secession. In 1862 President Lincoln appointed 
him military governor of Tennessee. On Lincoln's second election to the presidency 
by the Republicans, Johnson was elected Vice-President. See page 293, note 1. 

335 



33^ LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1865. 



phant armies of the East and of the West were united. During 
the greater part of two days (May 23, 24, 1865), the broad 
avenue from the Capitol to the White House resounded with 
martial music, and with the strong, steady tread of a column 
over thirty miles long. The march of these seemingly endless 
regiments of sunburnt veterans, bearing their glittering mus- 
kets and their tattered, smoke-stained battle flags, festooned 




The Capitol at Washington. 

with flowers, was a magnificent sight. No such spectacle had 
ever been seen before in America ; as one enthusiastic officer 
declared, " It was worth ten years of a man's life for him to 
be able to say, 1 1 was there.' " 

But grand as the display was, something grander was to come 
— that was the fact that in the course of a few weeks, all these 
men, with many hundreds of thousands more, 1 laid down their 
arms and went quietly to their homes. Neither on the North- 

1 With the exception of about 50,000 men, kept as a standing army, to preserve 
order, all the Union troops, numbering over a million, were now disbanded. The 
number of Confederates disbanded was about 175,000. 

In 1866 about 1500 "Fenians" — Irish citizens of the United States, who felt 
that England had wronged their native land — invaded Canada. Many of them had 
served in the war for the Union and now hoped to strike Great Britain a blow, but 
as the movement was discountenanced by the United States it came to nothing. 



1865.] 



WHAT THE WAR SETTLED. 



337 



ern nor on the Southern side, says a recent writer, was there 
a single act of lawlessness recorded to stain their proud repute 
as soldiers and Americans. 

359. What the War settled. — First, as a Southern historian 
admits, it 'Extinguished secession " as completely as water 
extinguishes a flame of fire. Henceforth it was understood 
that the Union cannot be broken. On this point the Consti- 
tution received a final and unmistakable interpretation. In 
the words of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the 
United States (1868) the American Republic is "an inde- 
structible Union composed of indestructible States." The war 
established the supremacy of the national Government beyond 
all question ; but more than this, it made every heart feel that 
we are one nation and have a common destiny. It fixed in 
the minds of the people the great thought expressed by Daniel 
Webster : " Liberty and union, now and forever, one and 
inseparable." 

Secondly, the war made the negro free — that was an advan- 
tage to every one, white or black, North or South ; for free 
labor only is intelligent and profitable. 

Thirdly, beyond all political and material benefits resulting 
from the war was the immense moral uplift involved in the 
result. Human slavery, with all its attendant wrongs, was 
forever abolished in our country. Our flag was made to repre- 
sent freedom in fact as well as in jiame, freedom for all, and 
not for the privileged only. Henceforth men of every race 
were to be alike entitled to the blessings of our Government 
and the opportunities of our country. 

Fourthly, the manner in which the result was accepted on 
both sides was itself a benefit. General Grant showed a mag- 
nanimity that has had no parallel. General Lee had fought 
with all his might ; he was in the wrong ; he applied to the 
Government for a pardon, as an example to his men. He 
said, " Remember that we are one country now. Do not 



338 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



[1865. 



bring up your children in hostility to the government of the 
United States. Bring them up to be Americans." 1 

360. The President's Proclamation of Pardon ; the Contest 
between Congress and the President. — The President issued 
a proclamation of pardon (May 29, 1865) to the greater part 
of the people of the seceded states on condition that they 
would swear to " faithfully support, protect, and defend the 
Constitution and the Union." A majority of the inhabitants 
of those states took the oath. They furthermore bound them- 
selves to accept the Thirteenth Amendment to the Consti- 
tution, which prohibited slavery, and they agreed never to 
demand payment of any part of the Southern war-debt. 

Now came the question whether these states should be at 
once permitted to send representatives to Congress. The 
President said, Yes ; but a majority in Congress said, No. 
The reason for this denial was that the greater part of Con- 
gress believed that it would not be safe to restore the Southern 
States to their full political rights until more was done to pro- 
tect the negroes or "freedmen," as they were now called, in 
the enjoyment of their new liberty. 

From this time forward the President and Congress were 
engaged in bitter strife with each other. Congress refused to 
re-admit the Southern States, and passed a number of bills 2 in 
favor of the "freedmen," one of which made them citizens, 3 
another gave them military protection, while a third granted 
them power to vote in the District of Columbia. The Presi- 
dent believed that the South would deal fairly by the "freed- 
men," and he therefore vetoed these bills ; Congress then 
passed them over his veto. 4 

1 See Cooke's " Life of Robert E. Lee." 

2 Civil Rights Bills, and establishment of the Freedmen's Bureau. 

3 By making the " freedmen " citizens. Congress (by the Civil Rights Bill. March, 
1866) gave them the right to protection under the laws of the United States, with 
power to use the courts to sue for the payment of debts and the like. 

•i In case the President vetoes a bill (that is, refuses to sign it, and returns it to 



1865.] NEGRO LEGISLATORS AND " CARPET-BAGGERS." 339 



361. Congress puts the Southern States under Military Gov- 
ernment. — In the spring of 1867 Congress passed another 
bill over the President's veto. This new law divided the 
South into districts, each of which was to be governed by a 
military governor. The " freedmen " were given the right to 
vote, but that right was denied to all those white inhabitants 
who had taken a prominent part in the war against the Union. 
Each state was to continue under this form of government 
until the people of the states, — black as well as white, — 
should form a government accepting the Fourteenth Amend- 
ment to the Constitution. That amendment declared the negro 
a citizen ; it made it a great disadvantage to a state to deny 
him the right to vote or to hold office ; finally it shut out the 
chief white men of the South from holding any high office. 1 
When these conditions should be accepted, but not before, the 
Southern States might send representatives to Congress. 

Tennessee, President Johnson's state, having fulfilled all the 
conditions required, had been re-admitted in 1866. 

362. Six States re-admitted; Negro Legislators and "Carpet- 
Baggers." 2 — Six states accepted these conditions; 3 four re- 
fused, but accepted them later (1870). In some of the restored 
states, especially in South Carolina, there were more negroes 
than white men. The negroes now got control of these states. 
They had been slaves all their lives, and were so ignorant that 
they did not even know the letters of the alphabet. Yet they 

Congress), Congress may pass the bill without the President's signature, providing 
two-thirds of the members vote for it. See the Constitution, page ix, sec. 7. 

1 See the Constitution, page xviii. The Fourteenth Amendment furthermore 
required the South to repudiate their war-debt and to agree to the payment of the 
Union war-debt. 

2 "Carpet-Baggers" : a nickname given by Southerners to Northern adventurers 
who went South after the war (with no baggage or property except a carpet-bag) for 
the purpose oi getting office and plunder. Those Southerners who joined the " Carpet- 
Baggers " in their schemes were nicknamed " Scalawags." 

3 The six states which accepted (and were re-admitted June, 1868) were Alabama, 
Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Georgia, Mis- 
sissippi, Texas, and Virginia remained out until 1870. 



340 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1867. 



now sat in the state legislatures and made the laws. After 
the war many industrious Northern men settled in the South, 
but, besides these, certain greedy adventurers went there eager 
to get political office and political spoils. These "Carpet- 
Baggers," as they were called, used the ignorant "freedmen" 
as tools to carry out their own selfish purposes. The result 
was that the negro legislators, under the direction of the 
" Carpet-Baggers, " plundered and, for the time, well-nigh 
ruined the states that had the misfortune to be subject to 
their rule. 1 

After a time the white population throughout the South 
resolved that they would no longer endure this state of things. 
Partly by peaceable and partly by violent means they suc- 
ceeded in getting the political power into their own hands, and 
the reign of the "Carpet-Bagger " and the negro came to an end. 

363. Congress impeaches the President; Proclamation of Full 
and Unconditional Pardon ; the Fifteenth Amendment. — Mean- 
while the quarrel between Congress and the President was con- 
stantly growing more and more serious. The President was not 
only determined to have his own way, but also to remove from 
office those who did not agree with him. Congress now passed 
the Tenure of Office Bill 2 forbidding him to dismiss even the 
members of his own cabinet or private council without the 
consent of the Senate. 

The President denied the power of Congress to make such 
a law, and he removed Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, 
who had been appointed by President Lincoln. For this" 
refusal to obey the law Congress now (February 25, 1868) pro- 
ceeded to impeach 3 the President. On his trial thirty-five 

1 In 1868 the total debt of South Carolina was about $5,000,000. Under four 
years of " Carpet-Bag " government, or rather misgovernment, the debt was increased 
to no less than $30,000,000. Much of the debt represented simply what was stolen 
from the people of the state. 

2 The Tenure of Office Act, 1867 (repealed 1887). 

3 Impeach the President : to bring him to trial. The House of Representatives 
makes the charges and the Senate tries the case — the Chief Justice presiding. See 



1868-1869.] 



THE ATLANTIC CABLE. 



341 



senators voted "guilty" and nineteen "not guilty"; as this 
was less than the two-thirds vote required to convict him, Presi- 
dent Johnson was therefore acquitted. One more vote against 
him would have removed him from the presidency. 

On the Christmas following (1868) the President issued a 
proclamation of full and unconditional pardon to all persons, 
without exception, who had taken part in the war against the 
Union. 

Early in the year following (1869) Congress passed the Fif- 
teenth Amendment to the Constitution. 1 The Thirteenth 
Amendment (passed 1865) made the negro free, the Fourteenth 
Amendment made him a citizen, 2 the Fifteenth finished the 
work and made him a voter. All these great changes had taken 
place within the short space of four years ! 

364. The Atlantic Cable. — But these political events were not 
the only ones in which the country was interested. It will be 
remembered that Professor Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, 
had predicted 3 that the time 
would come when messages 
would be sent across the sea 
by electricity. 

Cyrus W. Field of New 
York formed a company 
to accomplish the work 
by means of a wire cable 
laid on the bottom of the 
Atlantic, between Great 
Britain and the United 
States. The company lost 

several millions in attempting to do this, though they succeeded 
in laying a cable in 1858 by which messages were sent for a 

the Constitution, pages viii and xiii. As only part of the Southern States had been 
re-admitted, the number of senators was then but 54. 

1 Ratified by the states in 1870. 3 See page 261, note 2. 

2 See page 339. 




The Atlantic Cable. 



342 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1866-1867. 



few weeks. Not to be discouraged, Mr. Field formed a new 
company, and raised more money for the work. In the 
summer of 1866 the steamship Great Eastern laid a new 
cable between Valentia Bay, Ireland, and the port of Heart's 
Content, Newfoundland, thence connecting with the United 
States. On Friday, July 27, 1866, instantaneous communi- 
cation beneath the ocean was established between the Old 
World and the New. This communication has never since 
been interrupted. Several additional cables have since been 
laid, and every important event which occurs in Europe is now 
known here as soon as it is there. News which appears in the 
London morning papers, and which is read at the English 
breakfast-tables, is read also at ours on the same day through- 
out the length and breadth of the United States. 

365. The Purchase of Alaska ; Payment of the National Debt. 

— The next year (1867), just after Nebraska entered the Union, 
we purchased from Russia the territory of Alaska, embracing 
about 550,000 square miles. We paid a little over $7,000,000, 
or about what we spent in less than four days in carrying on 
the war 1 during the last year. This addition to our territory 
raised the total area of the United States to about 3,600,000 
square miles, or nearly equal to that of all the countries of 
Europe united. 

Alaska includes the islands of the Aleutian Archipelago, 
which extend a very long way westward. This makes San 
Francisco the city nearest the centre — east and west — of 
the United States ; the distance from that city to the eastern 
coast of Maine being about 3600 miles, and to Attoo, the 
farthest of the Aleutian islands, over 3800 miles. 

Secretary Seward persuaded Congress to make this purchase, 
in order to extend our power on the Pacific coast. Many Con- 
gressmen thought it was a waste of money, and one called 

1 The average daily expenses of the war 1S64-1S65 were over $2,000,000, and for 
a time some estimates make them $3,500,000. 



1867.] 



THE PURCHASE OF ALASKA. 



343 



Alaska "the refrigerator of the United States." But it prom- 
ises to become a very profitable "refrigerator." Its furs, 
forests, and fish are constantly increasing in value; rich deposits 
of gold were found (1897) on the Yukon and on the Klondike, 
a tributary of that river, and the trade in sealskins alone now 
amounts to over $2,000,000 a year. 1 

Besides buying this new territory the national government 
began as soon as the war was over to pay off the great war debt, 
amounting to nearly $3,ooo,ooo,ooo, 2 — a sum so enormous 
that in the longest life-time a person counting out the dollars 
one by one, at the rate of sixty a minute, could not get through 
even a third of it. 

Before all the soldiers had been sent home we had paid off 
over $30,000,000. Since then we have paid nearly $1,200,- 
000,000 more. Had we continued to reduce our debt at the 
same rate we should have finished paying it in about fourteen 
years. No country in Europe ever voluntarily settled such a 
debt. 3 To-day our credit stands as high as that of any other 
nation on the globe. 

366. Summary. — During President Johnson's administra- 
tion six of the seceded states were re-admitted to the Union ; 
but Congress and the President did not agree, and Congress at- 
tempted by impeachment to remove the President from office. 

Three amendments to the Constitution were made during 
Mr. Johnson's presidency. 4 The first declared the negro free, 
the second made him a citizen, the third, a voter. 

1 See Ballou's " New Eldorado" (Alaska). 

2 The actual debt was $2,750,000,000. This Was independent of the state debts, 
which were very heavy. 

3 Between 1871 and 1873, or in less than three years, France paid Germany a war 
claim of $1,000,000,000, but this payment was not voluntary, but made by the French 
to rid their soil of the presence of German troops. The total debt of the United 
States just prior to the war with Spain was $1,808,777,643. The war with Spain 
greatly increased our debt. 

4 The first of these amendments had been passed by Congress in February, 1865, 
and was ratified by the necessary number of three-fourths of the states by December 



344 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1869. 



The other important events were : i. The full pardon of all 
persons who had fought against the Union. 2. The beginning 
of the payment of the national debt. 3. The laying of the 
Atlantic cable. 4. The purchase of Alaska. 

Ulysses S. Grant. 

367. Grant's Administration (Eighteenth President, Two Terms, 
1 869-1 877) ; Completion of the Pacific Railroad ; what Railroads 
and Telegraphs have done for the Union. — A little over two months 
after President Grant 1 was inaugurated, the last spike of a 
line of railroad 2 connecting the Atlantic coast with the Pacific 
was driven at Ogden, Utah (May 10, 1869). The blows of 
the sledge-hammer which drove that spike — completing the 
greatest work of the kind in the world — were telegraphed, as 
they fell, throughout the Union. 

Congress granted a tract of land, in alternate sections, 
twenty miles wide, extending from Omaha to San Francisco in 

of that year. The two other amendments were passed by Congress during Mr. John- 
son's term ; the last was ratified during the next administration, 1870. 

1 General Ulysses S. Grant of Illinois (Schuyler Colfax of Indiana, Vice-President) 
was elected President by the Republicans in 1868, over Governor Horatio Seymour 
of New York and Francis P. Blair of Missouri, the Democratic candidates. He was 
re-elected in 1872 (Henry Wilson of Massachusetts, Vice-President), over Horace 
Greeley of New York and B. Gratz Brown of Missouri, the candidates of the Liberal 
Republicans and the greater part of the Democrats united. 

2 The Union Pacific Railroad, begun during the Civil War, was built westward 
from Omaha on the Missouri to Ogden, Utah, a distance of 1029 miles; there it met 
and connected with the Central Pacific Railroad, which was pushed through at the 
same time, from San Francisco, a distance of 878 mile's. The total distance from 
New York to San Francisco is 3322 miles. The Northern, and the Southern, 
Pacific, the Great Northern, and the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroads have 
since been built ; and in Canada the Canadian Pacific, making six transcontinental 
lines in all. 

In 1872 the Credit Mobilier, a company that had been engaged in the building of 
the first Pacific Railroad, became involved in a lawsuit in Pennsylvania. It was 
shown in the course of the suit that some members of Congress secretly held stock in 
the company, and it was supposed that the stock had been given them in order to 
secure their votes in behalf of the railway. After an investigation by a congressional 
committee, the House passed resolutions censuring two of its members ; the matter was 
then dropped. 




IX - 1 
DO < 

Ll * 

O _j 
< 



5 o 
o 

h- < 
< o: 



•5 1 



1869.] COMPLETION OF THE PACIFIC RAILROAD. 345 



aid of this national enterprise. During the previous thirty-five 
years the government gave to road, canal, and railroad corpo- 
rations public lands nearly equal in area to that of the thirteen 
original states as they now stand. 

Between Omaha and San Francisco the railroad crosses nine 
mountain ranges, including the Rockies and the Sierras, climb- 
ing, and then descending, over eight thousand feet. In point 
of time, it is now no farther from New York to San Francisco 
than it was in the days of the Revolution from New York to 
Boston. Then it took our forefathers between five and six 
days to go by wagon somewhat less than two hundred and fifty 
miles ; now, in that time, we can cross the entire continent. 

The result of this rapid means of travel is of the greatest im- 
portance to the republic. 1 Once, members of Congress laughed 
at the idea that California and Oregon would be added to the 
United States. They said that it would be practically impos- 
sible for such states, if added, to send representatives to the 
national capital, because it would take them the greater part 
of the year to get to Washington and back. For that reason, 
they believed that the people who settled the Pacific coast 
would form a separate and independent republic. The rail- 
road and the telegraph have changed all that. They have 
connected the farthest extremities of the country so closely 
that they have made it possible for us to extend and maintain 
the Union from ocean to ocean. 

368. Effect of the Pacific Railroad on Commerce with Asia, and 
on the Growth of the far West ; the Homestead Act. — But this is 
not all. The building of the Pacific Railroad entirely changed 
our relations with Asia. Teas, spices, and silks formerly 
reached us from China and from the East Indies by ships 
sailing round Cape Horn. Goods might be five or six months 
coming that immense distance. Now, many of these goods 

1 Before the completion of the Pacific Railroad, a pony express, followed by a 
line of stage-coaches, carried the mail across the country from St. Joseph, Missouri, 
to San Francisco. 



34^ LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HTSTORY. [1869. 

are shipped by steamer to San Francisco, and thence by rail 
across the country to the East. In a little over a month from 
the time a cargo of tea leaves China, it can be delivered in 
New York. The old navigators spent their lives in trying to 
find a short route to Asia ; we have found it, though in a 
totally different way from what they expected. 

Last of all, and most important as well as last, the Pacific 
Railroad, and the lines since built, have opened the Far West 
— as the region west of the Mississippi is called. Steam 
enabled a peaceful army of thrifty emigrants to reach that sec- 
tion easily, quickly, and cheaply. The unexplored region that 
a little more than a generation ago was given up to wild beasts 
and savages is now rapidly filling with population. 

The liberal land laws of the United States greatly encouraged 
this movement. From 1830 to 1862 actual settlers on the 
public lands had the first right to buy one hundred and sixty 
acres at the very low price of $1.25 per acre. This power of 
pre-emption, as it was called, made the farmer independent in 
large measure of speculators and other would-be purchasers. 

But in 1862 Congress passed the Homestead Bill. That 
measure actually made a present of one hundred and sixty 
acres to every settler on government land on condition that 
he built himself a home and proceeded to cultivate and 
improve the soil. The western emigrant's song declaring 
that "Uncle Sam is rich enough to give us all a farm," then 
became a fact. It induced scores of thousands to cross 
the Mississippi. Their labor has transformed the country 
where they settled. Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and the 
newer states west and north of them that were once treeless 
deserts or vast stretches of uncleared and uncultivated wilder- 
ness are to-day covered with grain-fields and fruit orchards. 

Denver and many other prosperous cities and towns in 
neighboring states have sprung up in places where when 
Grant became President there were often, at the most, only a 
few rude cabins made of sods or logs, or a few "dug-outs," 



1869-1899.] 



GROWTH OF THE FAR WEST. 



347 



excavated in the sides of the hills. Thus within the short 
period of about thirty years the railways of the West have 
entirely changed that part of the republic. They have con- 
verted what was once a broad 
extent of unoccupied territory — 
sometimes, seemingly barren and 
worthless — into groups of rapidly 
growing commonwealths, rich in 
mines of precious metals, rich in 
farms, in ranches, and industries 
of every kind. 

Some of these ranches, in the 
Far West, exhibit stock raising 
and agriculture on a scale never 
seen before, for they embrace from 
20,000 to 30,000 acres each, and 
have 50,000 head of cattle or sheep. 
There are single wheat-fields of 
13,000 acres, and single farms 
which extend for many miles — 
covered as far as the eye can see, 
with one mass of grain rollins; in 
golden waves. 1 

369. Completion of Reconstruc- 
tion ; the Weather Bureau ; Great 
Fires ; " Rings " and their Work. — 

The reconstruction of the South- 
ern States was completed in 1870; and in January of the 
following year (187 1) all the states '"'were represented in 
Congress for the first time since December, i860." The dis- 
astrous effects of negro voting in South Carolina and some 




Where some of our Western Railroads 
go — Animas Canyon, Colorado. 



1 See Harper 's Magazine for March, 1SS0, on " Dakota Wheat Fields " ; Charles 
Dudley Warner's series of papers on the " Great West " in the same magazine for 
1888 ; and more recent articles in " Poole's Index to Reviews " on this subject. 



34'8 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1870-1875. 

other states where the " freedmen " were in the majority, 
caused violent resistance on the part of the white inhabitants. 
A secret society known as the Ku Klux Klan was organized 
in various parts of the South to prevent the negroes from vot- 
ing. Congress passed the "Force Bill," to give military pro- 
tection to the black man. Experience has since proved that 
he can protect himself best by advancing in education and in 
habits of industry. It will be seen later on that several South- 
ern States (i 890-1 899) have raised the conditions of suffrage ; 
but the fact remains that the negro, like the white man, still 
has the liberty to make himself what he chooses. 

Another important work accomplished by Congress in 1870 
was the establishment of the Weather Bureau. This depart- 
ment has its headquarters at Washington, with branches in all 
the principal cities. 

Its object is to give information of approaching storms and 
changes of weather. It has been the means of saving the 
country from heavy losses both by land and sea. 

In the autumn of 187 1, a great fire broke out in Chicago, 
which destroyed about eighteen thousand buildings valued at 
two hundred million dollars. During the same season, terrible 
forest fires caused great destruction, in Michigan, Wisconsin, 
and Minnesota. The year following (1872) a conflagration 
consumed about eighty million dollars' worth of business 
property in Boston. These losses greatly aggravated the 
panic of 1873. 

In New York City it was discovered that " Boss " Tweed, 
one of the commissioners of public works, had been guilty, in 
connection with other city officers, of a series of stupendous 
frauds. In the course of years this "ring," as it was called, 
robbed the city of many millions, — so many in fact that 
it would have been cheaper to have had a great fire than to 
have kept these men in power. Eventually the " ring " was 
broken up, and Tweed died in Ludlow Street Jail. 

A few years later (1875) a " Whiskey Ring " was exposed in 



1873-1878.] 



THE NEW COINAGE ACT. 



349 



the West. Its purpose was to cheat the government out of a 
large part of the tax levied on whiskey. 

370. The New Coinage Act ; the Business Panic of 1873 ; the 
Centennial Exhibition ; the Electric Light ; the Telephone. — Late 
in the winter of 1873 Congress passed a new coinage act. 
At that time paper money was the only kind in circulation 
throughout the country. Silver dollars had not been seen 
for many years, and although " quarters " and ten-cent pieces 
were common enough, they could only be used for making 
small purchases and for "change." 

On account of the discovery of rich silver mines in Nevada 
and elsewhere 1 the price of the "white metal " had fallen so much 
that many of the European nations stopped coining silver. 

For these reasons Congress thought it best to drop "the 
dollar of our fathers," as it was, called, and to order that noth- 
ing should be coined for home use but gold, small silver pieces, 
and " coppers." 2 

Later many people became alarmed at this change. They 
said that the coinage act of 1873 was a mistake — or some- 
thing worse ; and that it was the work of wealthy men who 
held government bonds 3 and who were determined to have 
those bonds paid in nothing cheaper than gold. 

The pressure brought to bear on Congress was so strong 
that both political parties united (1878) in repealing the act 
of 1873, and in passing a new law over the President's veto 4 

1 See Paragraph 311. 2 But the new coinage act of 1873 ordered that some 

very heavy pieces called " Trade Dollars " should be coined, not for use at home, but 
to be employed in our trade with China. 

3 Bonds : In order to get money to pay the enormous expenses of the war for the 
preservation of the Union the government of the United States borrowed hundreds of 
millions of dollars from loyal citizens and from banks. In return, the government 
issued bonds, or promises to pay back the money with interest at the expiration of a 
certain number of years. Not only rich people, but many persons of comparatively 
small means bought these bonds. It was generally understood by those who thus lent 
their money to the government that it was to be paid back to them either in gold or 
in other coin of the same value as gold. 

4 This was President Hayes; see Paragraph 375, note 3. 



350 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1873-1876. 



which ordered that many millions of standard silver dollars 
should be coined and used to pay debts. 

The success of the first Pacific Railroad encouraged the 
commencement of a second line across the continent, and 
eventually the number of transcontinental lines within the 
limits of the United States was increased to five. More rail- 
roads were built at the West than the country then demanded. 1 
Multitudes of people put their savings into these new enter- 
prises, hoping to get rich at locomotive speed. This, with 
other causes, brought on the failure of a large banking-house 
in Philadelphia, in the autumn of 1873. 2 The failure was fol- 
lowed by a panic like that of 1837 and of 1857. 3 In the course 
of a few weeks, many thousands of business men were ruined, 
and it became so difficult to get money that even the national 
government had to stop making payments on the war debt for 
a time, and all work on public buildings came to a standstill. 
The country did not fully recover from the effects of the panic 
for five or six years. 

A leading feature of the celebration of the anniversary of 
the One Hundredth Year of the Independence of the United 
States was the opening of the Centennial 4 Exhibition in Fair- 
mount Park, Philadelphia, in the spring of 1876. The princi- 
pal buildings were immense structures of glass and iron ; with 
numerous others, they covered a total space of about seventy- 
five acres. " All the nations of the world sent products of their 
industry or their art to be exhibited; but, as in the World's 
Fair of 1853, 5 our own country took the lead in the display of 
useful inventions. The Exhibition showed what a great change 

1 From 1871 to the autumn of 1873 — or about two years and a half — over twenty 
thousand miles of railroad were built in the United States, at a cost of over a thou- 
sand millions of dollars. See, too, Paragraph 367, note 2. 

2 The banking-house of Jay Cooke & Co. They were largely interested in the 
building of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Their failure was the immediate cause 
of the panic. 3 See Paragraphs 274 and 310. 

4 Centennial : occurring once in a hundred years ; here used of the anniversary 
which the Exhibition commemorated. 5 See Paragraph 301. 



1876.] 



USE OF ELECTRICITY. 



351 



had taken place in the mode of doing most kinds of work. In 
Washington's day. and for many years later, nearly everything 
was done by hand : but by the time we had reached our hun- 
dredth birthday an industrial revolution had taken place. Arms 
of iron and ringers of steel now performed the labor, and the 
duty of the workman since that period has been mainly to guide 
and superintend a machine which is his willing, tireless servant. 

Since the Exhibition, machines have multiplied with greater 
rapidity than ever. Two of the most remarkable novelties then 
exhibited were the electric light- — which has since come into 
common use — and an instrument invented by Professor A. G. 
Bell of Boston, which Ave know to-day as the telephone. Pro- 
fessor Morse enabled men to send written messages to each 
other by electricity ; 1 Professor Bell, going a step farther, 
enabled them to talk together in the same way, so that cities 
as far apart as Xew York or Boston and Omaha are now 
actually within speaking distance of each other.- 

Since then the application of electricity to the service of 
man has made very rapid progress. It is employed to drive 
various kinds of light machinery for manufacturing, and the 
street-cars now generally use it in place of horses. It would 
seem as though the as;e of steam was drawing to its close 
and that the electric age had at length fairly begun. 

1 See Paragraph 

2 A still more recent invention is the phonograph ( greatly improved in iSSS), in- 
vented by Thomas A. Edison, of Menlo Park, Xew Jersey. This remarkable instru- 
ment records sound in such a manner that it can be exactly reproduced any length of 
time afterward. By its use the tones of the human voice may be stored up for the 
future. Aside from its uses for entertainment, it is sometimes employed for business 
purposes in dictating to a typewriter. (The first American typewriting machine ap- 
peared in 1S29. but it was not until 1S74 that a greatly improved instrument began 
to be manufactured on a large scale.) After Mr. Edison gave the world the phono- 
graph he invented (1896) the kinetoscope — an instrument which exhibits photographs 
of moving figures in action. 

In a wholly different direction, that of astronomical instruments. Mr. Alvan Clark 
and his son. Alvan G. Clark, of Cambridgeport. Mass., have recently made great prog- 
ress. Their telescopes now rank among the most perfect in the world. In 1SS6 they 
constructed one for the Lick Observatory, on Mount Hamilton, near San Francisco, 
and later one for the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin, which are especially noteworthy. 



352 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1871-1877. 



371. Treaty with Great Britain; War with the Modoc and the 
Sioux 1 Indians. — During President Grant's administration a 
treaty 2 was made with Great Britain (1871), one result of 
which was that England agreed to pay the United States $15,- 
500,000 for damages done by the Alabama and other Confed- 
erate war-vessels built in Great Britain. 3 In 18 12 such a claim 
on our part would probably have led to war between the two 
countries. The fact that it could now be peaceably settled 
showed what a great change for the better had taken place in 
the relations of England and America. 

It was unfortunate for us that we either could not or would 
not settle our disputes with the Western Indians in the same 
peaceable way. The Modocs of Southern Oregon refused to be 
removed from their hunting-grounds, and war ensued (1872). 
Later, the Sioux tribes, who had been driven from the Black 
Hills by gold seekers, made up their minds that they would 
not go to Indian Territory. General Custer, one of the bravest 
officers of the army, attacked them in their stronghold in Mon- 
tana. The Indians numbered nearly ten to his one. In a des- 
perate fight Custer and his entire command of several hundred 
men were killed on the spot. But in time both the Modocs 
and the Sioux had to yield to superior force. 

Four years later (1876) Colorado entered the Union as the 
"Centennial State." 

372. Summary. — President Grant's administration was 
marked (1) by the completion of the first railroad across 
the continent ; (2) by the admission to Congress of repre- 
sentatives of all the seceded states; (3) by an important 
treaty with England ; (4) by terrible fires West and East, 

1 Sioux : pronounced Soo. 

2 The Treaty of Washington : it referred all matters about which the two coun- 
tries were in dispute to a board of arbitrators. Besides the Alabama question the 
Canadian Fisheries dispute came up for settlement under this treaty, and a board of 
arbitration decided that we should pay Great Britain S;. 500.000 for using the Canadian 
shores in carrying on our fishing. 3 See Paragraph 326. 



1877.] 



HAYES'S ADMINISTRATION. 



353 



destroying many millions of property ; (5) by a new coinage 
act ; (6) by a severe business panic ; and (7) by the Centennial 
Exhibition at Philadelphia. 

Rutherford B. Hayes. 
373. Hayes's Administration (Nineteenth President, One Term, 
1 877-1881); Withdrawal of Troops from the South ; Railroad and 
Coal Strikes. — President Hayes 1 believed that there would 
never be permanent peace at the South until the people of 
that section were allowed to manage their own affairs without 
the interference of the national government. He therefore 
withdrew the United States troops from that part of the coun- 
try, trusting that the whites and the blacks would come to an 
understanding between themselves. From that time forward 
the " solid South " — that is, the solid white vote of the South 
— got the control, and the negro ceased to govern. It was a 
great relief to the whole country to have the strife over, and 
the President's action, though severely condemned by many 
of his party, was heartily approved by the great mass of the 
people. 

In the summer (1877), extensive railroad strikes occurred 
throughout the Northern States west of New England. Later, 
many Pennsylvania coal-miners joined the strike. In all about 
a hundred and fifty thousand men stopped work. In Pitts- 
burgh a mob of " roughs" and "tramps" took advantage of 
the strike to plunder freight-cars, and finally to set fire to the 

1 Rutherford B. Hayes was born in Ohio in 1822. He studied law, and settled 
in Cincinnati. During the Civil War he became a brigadier-general in the Union 
army. After the war he was twice elected governor of Ohio. In 1876 he was 
elected President by the Republicans (William A. Wheeler of New York, Vice- 
President) over Samuel J. Tilden of New York and Thomas A. Hendricks of 
Indiana, the Democratic candidates. Mr. Hayes had but one majority of the elect- 
oral votes over his opponent. The Democrats maintained that the election was not 
fairly conducted, and that many Democratic votes in the South had been thrown out 
by those whose duty it was to count them. Congress created an Electoral Commis- 
sion composed of ten members of Congress and five Justices of the Supreme Court 
to decide the matter. After investigating the facts, they decided in favor of Mr. 
Hayes by a vote of 8 to 7, and he was declared elected. 



354 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1875-1879. 



railroad machine-shops and other buildings, destroying nearly 
$10,000,000 of property. 

The President was finally obliged to send troops to Pitts- 
burgh to prevent further destruction. 

374. Deepening the Chief Mouth of the Mississippi. — During 

President Hayes's administration, the attention of Congress 
was particularly called to the condition of the Lower Mis- 
sissippi. That great river is constantly bringing down vast 
quantities of sand and mud, which gradually fill up the mouths 
of the stream. 1 

The sand bar thus formed had increased so that it finally 
blocked up the passage to such an extent that large and 
heavily loaded ships could pass over it only with the greatest 
difficulty. On one occasion over fifty vessels were seen lying 
north of the bar, waiting for an opportunity to get to sea. 
Sometimes they were delayed there for days, or weeks, even, 
and had at last to be at great expense, paying steam tug-boats 
to haul them through. 

Both the national government and the state of Louisiana 
had spent many millions trying to remove the obstructions, 
but they had met with only a partial degree of success. 

In 1875 Captain Eads, an engineer of St. Louis, the builder 
of the great steel arch bridge across the Mississippi at that 
point, undertook to open the mouth of the river. His plan, 
though not new, was a most ingenious one. He had noticed 
that where the river was narrow the current was strong, and 
so deposited but little mud to fill up the channel. He said to 
himself, By building new banks on each side, near the mouth 
of the river, I can narrow the channel and increase the force 
of the current to such a degree that it will carry all the sand 
and mud out to sea. Then, if the bar is once dredged out, it 
will never form again. 

1 The waters of the Mississippi enter the Gulf by five channels or " passes " ; Cap- 
tain Eads's great work was on the South Pass. 



1879.] UNITED STATES PAPER MONEY. 355 

Congress reluctantly gave him permission to try the experi- 
ment. He set to work, and in four years proved the truth of 
his idea (1879). The Mississippi, like a well-behaved river, 
now sweeps out its own channel, and large ocean steamers can 
pass up to New Orleans, or out to sea, without difficulty or 
expense. The saving in a single year in this way amounts to 
nearly two millions of dollars. Captain Eads's great work 
has been of immense benefit, for the foreign commerce of New 
Orleans is larger by far than that of any other city in the South. 1 

375. United States Paper Money becomes as Good as Gold; 
Effect on the National Debt. — The paper money called " green- 
backs" 2 which the government issued during the Civil War, 
and with which it paid part of its enormous expenses, was 
worth less than gold. At one time (summer of 1864), it was 
worth so much less that it took nearly three dollars in " green- 
backs " to purchase as much as a single dollar in gold would 
buy. That meant that at that time people had so little confi- 
dence in the power of the government to do as it agreed that 
a paper promise of payment stamped " one dollar " was worth 
only about thirty-five cents. 

But after the war the feeling changed, especially as the gov- 
ernment began at once to pay off its debt. 3 On this account, 
paper money rose steadily in value, until at last a " greenback " 
dollar would buy quite as much as a gold dollar. 

1 For an interesting account of Captain Eads's work, see Scribner^s Magazine, 
vol. xix., " The Mississippi Jetties" (illustrated). 

2 " Greenbacks " : they were so called because the backs of the bills were printed 
largely in green ink. 

3 In 1873 ( see Paragraph 370) the United States suspended the coinage of the 
standard silver dollar. In 1878 Congress passed the " Bland Silver Bill," which 
ordered the coinage of large sums in silver dollars of 412I grains weight, and pro- 
vided that they might be used in payment of debts by the government. As these 
dollars were worth then only about ninety-two cents, President Hayes vetoed the 
bill, on the ground that the government would be guilty of dishonesty and " bad 
faith " if it paid its debts in such coin. Congress, however, passed the bill over the 
President's veto, and it became law. Notwithstanding this law, the credit of the 
government continued to improve until its notes were as good as gold. 



356 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1883. 



Finally, on New Year's Day, 1879, the Treasurer of the 
United States stood ready to give gold to those who preferred 
it to "greenbacks." This had such an effect in strengthening 
the credit of the government that it was now able to borrow 
all the money it wanted to meet the debt as it fell due, at very 
low rates of interest. 

376. Summary. — The four most important events of Mr. 
Hayes's presidency were : ( 1 ) His withdrawal of troops from 
the South; (2) the great railroad and coal strikes; (3) the 
deepening of the mouth of the Mississippi; (4) the reduction of 
the expenses of the government in paying interest on its debt. 

James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur. 

377. Garfield's and Arthur's Administrations (Twentieth and 
Twenty-First Presidents, One Term, 1881-1885) ; Assassination 
of the President; Civil Service Reform. — In the summer fol- 
lowing his inauguration, President Garfield 1 was shot by a 
disappointed office-seeker named Guiteau. 2 He died in the 
autumn from the effects of the wound, and Vice-President 
Arthur became President. 

The murder of Garfield led to an attempt on the part of Con- 
gress to relieve the President from the necessity of appointing 

1 James A. Garfield was born in Ohio in 1831 ; died, 1881. His early life, like 
that of Abraham Lincoln, was passed in hardship and poverty, in a part of the 
country then called the " Wilderness." 

Like Lincoln, he rose above all difficulties, and made his own way by the force 
and integrity of his character. By dint of hard work, he fitted himself for college, 
and graduated at Williams College, Massachusetts, with distinction. When the war 
broke out, he entered the Union army, and was promoted, for his services at the 
battle of Chickamauga, to the rank of major-general. In December, 1863, he was 
elected to Congress, and later, became United States Senator. 

In 1880 he was elected President (Chester A. Arthur of New York, Vice-President) 
over General W. S. Hancock of Pennsylvania and William H. English of Indiana, 
the Democratic candidates. President Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau, 
July 2, 1 88 1. He died September 19. Vice-President Arthur then became President. 

2 Guiteau (Ge-toe') was convicted of the murder, and hanged. 



1883.] THE EAST RIVER SUSPENSION BRIDGE. 357 



thousands 1 of persons to government offices merely as a reward 
for their having worked, or spent money, to get him elected. 

A law called the Civil Service Reform Act was passed (1883) 
which gave the President power to appoint commissioners to 
examine all persons applying for the lower grade of offices, and 
to recommend such as they thought showed themselves best 
fitted to do the work. Out of the list they furnish, the Presi- 
dent can then make his selection. 

This method, which has received the name of Civil Service 
Reform, 2 takes off the President's hands (if he sees fit to use 
Jt) a vast amount of very laborious work. It also saves his 
time, and spares him the vexation of having to listen to that 
class — found even among office-seekers — who cry night and 
day, like the beggars of Italy, "Give !" "Give !" 

President Arthur gladly appointed the Civil Service Com- 
missioners ; and it seems probable that in time all appoint- 
ments to the lower class of government offices will be made 
by examination — thus giving an equal chance to all. 

378. Overflow of the Mississippi ; the East River Suspension 
Bridge; Cheap Postage; the Alien Contract Labor Act. — In the 

spring of 1882 the Mississippi overflowed its banks in Louisi- 
ana, doing immense damage to cotton and sugar plantations. 
Over a hundred thousand persons were made homeless. The 
abundant aid given showed that the wealth of the country had 
become so great that it was easy for the nation to help any 
section of the republic that should really require it. 

1 In 1 88 1 there were 3400 government clerks and other persons employed in the 
Treasury Department at Washington. The whole number of government offices 
(including post-offices) was then estimated at about 140,000. This number is, of 
course, constantly increasing. The Civil Service Reform aims to fill the greater part 
of these offices by competitive examination, and to make their tenure permanent 
during good behavior, unless some good reason arises for demanding a change. 

2 Civil service : all persons in the employ of the government outside of the army 
and navy (that is, outside of military service) are said to be in the civil service. 

The necessity for civil service reform has already been considered in Paragraphs 
260 and 261. 



35§ LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1883. 



An illustration of our steadily growing prosperity and enter- 
prise was given during the spring of 1883 in the completion of 
the great East River Suspension Bridge, connecting New York 
City with Brooklyn. This bridge was built at a cost of nearly 
fifteen million dollars — an amount double that of the entire 
annual cost of carrying on the government of the United States 
in the first years of Washington's presidency. It took fourteen 
years to finish the structure, which has a total length of over 




The East River Suspension Bridge. 

a mile. The roadway is suspended by four steel-wire cables, 
each more than a foot in diameter, stretched from towers 
nearly three hundred feet in height. The bridge is divided 
into five avenues, — one for foot-passengers, two for carriages 
and wagons, and two for cable-cars. Taken as a whole, this 
bridge — a monument of American engineering skill — is the 
grandest work of the kind in the world. 1 

1 The East River Suspension Bridge was begun by John A. Roebling (pronounced 
Ro'bling) of Trenton, New Jersey, the inventor of wire suspension bridges, the builder 
of the famous railroad suspension bridge at Niagara, and of the great suspension 
bridge across the Ohio at Cincinnati. Mr. Roebling only lived to complete the plan 



1883-1885.] 



THE NEW SOUTH. 



359 



Still another evidence of the prosperity of the country was 
the reduction of postage (1883) on letters, weighing not more 
than half an ounce, from three cents to two. Two years after- 
ward (1885), the weight of a letter which might be sent at this 
low rate was increased to a full ounce. For two cents we can 
now send a bulky letter from Eastport, Maine, to Alaska or to 
San Francisco and Honolulu, Hawaii, — a distance of between 
five and six thousand miles, or nearly double that from New 
York to Liverpool. 

Late in Mr. Arthur's presidency a law called the "Alien 
Contract Labor Act " was passed (1885). Its object was to 
protect American workmen against the importation of foreign 
workmen. The Act prohibited any Company or other persons 
from bringing foreigners into the United States under contract 
to perform labor here. The only exceptions made by this law 
were in the case of those who were brought over to do house- 
work or other domestic service, and skilled workmen who 
should be needed here to help establish some new trade or 
industry. 

379. The New Orleans Cotton Centennial Exhibition ; the " New 
South." — In 1784, eight bags of cotton were exported from 
Charleston, South Carolina, to England. 1 It was the first 
shipment of the kind ever made from the United States. In 
time, this country came to supply nearly all the cotton used 
in Great Britain and Europe, and the value of the crop grew 
to be so great that it was a common saying at the South, 
" Cotton is king." 

Samuel Slater, who came to this country from England in 
1789, was the first person to establish the manufacture of cot- 
ton in the United States on a really solid foundation. Moses 
Brown, a Rhode Island Quaker, wrote to him in regard to 

of the East River Bridge. He was succeeded by his son, W. A. Roebling, who took 
up the work and finished it. 

1 See Paragraph 205. See the history of cotton exportation from Charleston in 
" The Charleston Year-Book" for 1S83 and compare the "Year-Book" for 1880. 



360 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1884. 



setting up a mill, saying : " If thou canst do this thing, I 
invite thee to come to Rhode Island, and have the credit of 
introducing cotton manufacture into America." 

Mr. Slater was just the man who could "do this thing"; 
and, trusting wholly to his memory to construct the compli- 
cated machinery required, he started a mill for cotton spinning 
at Pawtucket in 1790, which proved an entire success. 

Francis C. Lowell of Newburyport, Massachusetts, follow- 
ing Mr. Slater's example, set up the manufacture of cotton cloth 
on an important scale in that state (18 14), and later the great 
manufacturing city of Lowell was named in his honor. 

In the winter of 1884, an exhibition 1 was opened at New 
Orleans — the largest cotton market in America — to mark 
the hundredth anniversary which had elapsed since the first 
export of that product, of which the " Crescent City " alone 
now ships nearly two millions of bales. 2 

The real importance of that Centennial Exhibition did not, 
however, depend on its display of any one production, but in 
the fact that it proved that the South had entirely changed, — 
that it had in fact become absolutely a "New South." 

380. The Progress made by New Orleans an Illustration of what 
the " New South" is doing. — Take New Orleans itself as an 
illustration. Before the war, it had but a single important 
line 3 of railroad entering the city ; now it has six trunk-lines. 4 

Before the war, it was almost wholly a commercial city, and 
its manufactures practically counted for nothing. To-day, its 
commerce is larger than ever, 5 and its manufactures are rapidly 

1 The buildings covered more than seventy-five acres, and the main building was 
the largest of the kind ever erected in the world. Important cotton exhibitions had 
been held in Atlanta in 1881, and at Louisville in 1SS3 ; but they did not compare in 
magnitude with this at New Orleans. 

2 Cotton was at first shipped in bags, but later in compressed bales of about 400 
pounds weight. 3 See Scribner's " Statistical Atlas of the United States."' 

4 Trunk-lines of railroad : main fines, connecting large and important cities. 

5 Much- of this increased ocean commerce is due to Captain Eads. See Paragraph 
374- 



1884-1899.] 



THE "FREEDMEN." 



36l 



increasing; it now makes great quantities of goods which it 
formerly bought. In i860, the money invested in its machine- 
shops, mills, and workshops was so small that it was not 
reported ; at the present time, it is probably close upon twenty- 
five million dollars, and the yearly wages it pays to its work- 
men amount to about nine million dollars. 

381. The South no longer a Purely Agricultural Country; its 
Manufactures; its Prosperity; the " Freedmen ' ' ; Education. — 

The change that has taken place in New Orleans shows us 
what has been going on throughout the South. When the war 
broke out, it was almost purely an agricultural country ; now, 
within the past four years alone, fourteen thousand new manu- 
facturing and mining enterprises have been started, including 
the production of cotton-seed oil, 1 and many thousands of miles 
of railroad have been built. Such cities as Chattanooga (Ten- 
nessee), Augusta and Atlanta (Georgia), and Birmingham 
(Alabama) are "hives of industry." Their cotton-mills, iron- 
mills, and other important works are fast rivalling anything 
in the North or West ; and they possess the advantage of 
having their supplies of raw material — their cotton, iron, 
lumber — at the very doors of their factories and mills; with 
unlimited quantities of coal for fuel, and, in some cases, 
immense water-power 2 besides. 

But this is not all. A new spirit shows itself in the South. 
Free labor is accomplishing double what slave labor did. In 
i860, the South produced less than four million bales of cotton; 
now it produces eight millions ; the white man does about half 
the work ; the black man, the other half. The " Freedmen " 
share in this prosperity ; and the men who, when the war broke 
out, could not call even themselves their own, are to-day taxed 

1 Before the war the seed was thrown away or burned as useless. Now nearly 
$50,000,000 are invested in its production. The oil is used as a substitute for olive- 
oil for making a superior soap, and for many other purposes. 

2 Augusta, Spartanburg, and Columbus have great water-power. 



362 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1884-1899. 



for over a hundred million dollars' worth of property, which 
they have fairly made and just as fairly enjoy. 

In education the progress has been equally great. 1 Common 
schools have multiplied all through the South, — they are free 
to black and white alike, though the schools are separate, 2 — 
and the negro has not only many thousand teachers of his own 
race, but great numbers of white teachers besides. If he can- 
not get on now the fault will be mainly his own. 

Horace Greeley used to give this advice to the young men 
of his acquaintance who wanted to get a start in life : " Young 
man, go West." The progress of the cotton states would seem 
to change this advice a little, and tend to induce us to say, 
Young man, go West, or South. 

382. Summary. — The principal events of the Garfield and 
the Arthur administrations were the assassination of President 
Garfield, followed by Vice-President Arthur's succession, and 
by an act of Congress providing for Civil Service Reform. 

During Arthur's presidency, great destruction of property 
was caused by the overflow of the Mississippi ; but the general 
prosperity of the country was shown by the completion of the 
East River Suspension Bridge, by the reduction in the rate of 
letter postage, and by the immense growth and prosperity of 
the "New South." 

1 In 1882, Paul Tulane, of Princeton, New Jersey, but for more than half a cen- 
tury a resident of New Orleans, left over $1,000,000 to found a university for the edu- 
cation of white youth in that city. Vanderbilt University of Nashville. Tennessee, 
is another example of the same kind. In 1866, George Peabody of Danvers, Massa- 
chusetts (the London banker), gave a sum of money, which he later increased to 
$3,500,000, for the promotion of education at the South. In 1882, John F. Slater of 
Norwich, Connecticut, gave $1,000,000 for the education of the "freedmen" at the 
South. To-day the Southern States are spending very large sums on common and 
high-school education. 

2 The common schools for the blacks and the whites throughout the South, says 
the late Mr. Grady, " are separate, without exception." See " In Plain Black and 
White," Century. April, 1885. The Agricultural Colleges established throughout the 
Union by grants of land made by Congress have been of very great help to the South 
in many ways. 



1885.] 



Cleveland's administration. 



3^3 



Grover Cleveland. 

383. Cleveland's Administration (Twenty-Second President, One 
Term, 1 885-1 889); Progress made in Civil Service Reform. — The. 
Republican party had held control of the government ever 
since the election of Abraham Lincoln; Grover Cleveland 1 was 
the first Democratic President that had been inaugurated for 
over a quarter of a century. 2 

Among the important matters to which President Cleveland 
gave special attention was the reform of the Civil Service, 3 
which had been undertaken under President Arthur. The 
success of such a movement — earnestly advocated by the best 
men of all parties — must depend on the whole people. When 
the vast good which this measure promises is clearly seen, no 
one can doubt that the nation will thoroughly work out this 
reform as it has so many others. 4 

384. The "Knights of Labor"; the "Black-List" and the 
"Boycott"; the "American Federation of Labor"; the Depart- 
ment of Labor. — For a number of years, a large part of the 
laboring-men of the country had been members of a society 
or union known as "The Knights of Labor" (1869). The 

1 Grover Cleveland was born in Caldwell. New Jersey, in 1837. His father soon 
after moved to New York State, and his son began the study of law in Buffalo, at 
the age of eighteen. In 1SS1. he was elected mayor of that city, and the year follow- 
ing, he became governor of New York. In 1SS4. Mr. Cleveland was elected President 
(Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana, Yice-President) by the Democrats, over James G. 
Blaine of Maine and John A. Logan of Illinois, the Republican candidates. Many 
" Independent Republicans," or •'• Mugwumps," as they were called, voted for Mr. 
Cleveland. 

'- James Buchanan, the last Democratic President before Cleveland, was elected in 
1857. just twenty-eight years before. 

3 See Paragraph 377. 

4 The first movement toward Civil Service Reform was made in 1853, but nothing 
was accomplished. Presidents Grant and Hayes next took it up ; since, the progress 
made by the Civil Service Commissioners is seen in the fact that during the year 1S85 
the}" held one hundred and fifty examinations of applicants for government positions 
in seventeen different states. The whole number examined was 7602 ; of these, 1876 
received appointments from the government. 



364 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1885-1886. 

purpose of the society was to secure for its members the power 
of united action in all matters that concerned their interest. 

In this, as in every country, there had been at times serious 
disputes between employers and workmen ; one object of the 
" Knights of Labor " was to get such disputes settled in a 
way satisfactory to both parties. Where this could not be 
done, the labor-union might order its members to quit work 
until they either got the terms they asked, or were compelled 
to accept those offered by the employers. In some instances, 
when the union men struck, they refused to allow men who 
were not " Knights of Labor " to take their places, and used 
force to prevent them. 

The employers, on the other hand, formed combinations, or 
unions, to protect their own interests. In some cases they 
kept a " black-list " on which were recorded the names of those 
laboring-men who were thought to be unreasonable in their 
demands for higher pay or shorter hours, or whose influence 
over the other men was believed to be injurious. Such men 
often found it impossible to get work. 

The "Knights," however, were not without their weapon. 
They could refuse to have any dealings with an employer who 
used the "black-list "; and furthermore, they could, and did, 
use their influence to prevent others from having any dealings 
with him. This was called "boycotting." 1 It is difficult to 
say whether the " black-list " or the " boycott " came first ; 
but in President Cleveland's administration both were exten- 
sively used, and both caused immense loss without apparently 
gaining any very decided advantage for either side. 

More recently the " American Federation of Labor " was 
organized (1886) for the purpose of promoting the welfare of 
the great body of artisans in the United States. It is one of 

1 The word "boycott" came from Captain Boycott, the name of an English 
farmer and land agent in Ireland. In 1880 he became so much disliked that the 
people of the district where he lived refused to work for, buy from, sell to, or have 
any dealings whatever with him. 



1886-1888.] 



THE YEAR OF STRIKES. 



365 



the largest and strongest organizations of the kind in the world, 
and probably has nearly a million of members. 

Both of the above-mentioned associations exert a powerful 
influence on lawmaking, on the tone of a part of the newspaper 
press, and on the action of political parties. 

That influence was shown in the creation by the govern- 
ment of the Department of Labor at Washington (1888), for 
the purpose of collecting and publishing important facts re- 
specting the condition, rate of wages, and general progress 
of the laboring classes of the country. The Department is 
ably managed, and makes frequent reports which are of great 
value not only to those who sell, or hire labor, but to the 
whole community beside. 

385. The Year of Strikes ; the Chicago Anarchists. — The year 
1886 may almost be called the year of labor strikes. They 
began very early in the spring, with the horse-car drivers and 
conductors in New York ; and they gradually extended, in one 
form or another, to points as far west as Nebraska, and as far 
south as New Orleans. 1 

In many cases, the strikers demanded that the working-day 
be shortened to eight hours ; in other cases, they asked an 
increase of wages. In Chicago, forty thousand men left their 
employments, and the greater part of the factories and work- 
shops of the city were closed. Processions of strikers, ten 
thousand strong, marched through the streets, — in some 
cases, with all the precision of movement of a body of highly 
drilled troops. Soon the men engaged in handling freight 
at the different railroad freight-houses in the city joined 
their fellow-workmen, and all movement or delivery of goods 
came to a stop. On the day following, there was some 
rioting. On the evening of the next day (May 4, 1886), six 
or seven hundred persons gathered in the neighborhood of 
Haymarket Square, and were addressed by different speakers, 

1 See Appleton's " Annual Cyclopaedia," 1887, "Strikes." 



366 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1886. 



one of whom — an Englishman — urged the most violent 
measures. A large force of police was on the ground ; believ- 
ing that the meeting was likely to end in a serious riot, they 
ordered the crowd to disperse. At that moment, some one 
threw a dynamite bomb 1 at the police. It exploded with 
terrible violence, severely wounding many of the officers, and 
killing several. 2 Persons in the crowd then drew revolvers, 
and fired on the police. The officers charged on the crowd, 
firing rapidly, and killing and wounding a large number. The 
ringleaders of the mob were arrested, and brought to trial. 
All but one were of foreign birth. They belonged to a small 
but dangerous class calling themselves Anarchists. 3 The 
object of the Anarchist is to overthrow all forms of govern- 
ment, either by peaceable means, or — as in the case of the 
men arrested at Chicago — by murder, and the destruction of 
property. The workingmen of Chicago, and throughout the 
country, expressed their horror of such methods, and de- 
nounced the Anarchists as enemies of the interests of labor, 
and of society. Four of the rioters were hanged. 

386. Growth of Great Corporations and 11 Trusts " ; Political 
Questions ; Disasters. — From the time of which we are speak- 
ing men engaged in every kind of work or enterprise have 
been more and more inclined to form associations. We have 
seen in a previous section 4 how labor organized for self-protec- 
tion and to obtain shorter hours or higher wages. 

In the same way capitalists have united in forming com- 
panies for carrying on business on a scale never before 
attempted. 

The object sought by these gigantic corporations and 

1 These bombs were made of pieces of gas-pipe filled with dynamite, — a substance 
which explodes with much greater force than gunpowder. 

2 Sixty of the police were badly wounded, and seven were either killed on the spot, 
or died in consequence of the injuries they had received. 

3 Anarchists (An'ar-kists) : the name comes from two Greek words meaning 
■without a ruler or government ; hence, in ordinary use, those who seek to overthrow 
all government. 4 See Paragraph 384. 



1886-1899.] 



CORPORATIONS AND " TRUSTS." 



367 



"trusts" 1 is generally to obtain more effective results, with 
less competition, at smaller cost, and at larger profit to the 
stockholders. 

For instance, there were once many individual men or small 
companies engaged in obtaining and selling coal oil. Now 
the "Standard Oil Company " (organized in iSSi n ) controls 
nearly the entire output of petroleum in the United States, 
and directly or indirectly influences the trade of the world in 
this important product. 

So, too, companies or " trusts " have been formed, having 
in the aggregate hundreds of millions of capital, for the manu- 
facture and sale of sugar, cotton-seed oil, tobacco, india-rubber, 
and other staple products. 

In like manner since 1881 the Western Union Telegraph 
Company has absorbed by purchase or by lease nearly all 
the telegraph lines in the United States, while the Bell Tele- 
phone Company " practically conducts the telephone busi- 
ness " of the country. 2 

Again, many independent or competing railway lines have 
consolidated into through systems extending over thousands 
of miles. 

The same movement is seen operating in a different way in 
the establishment of the great " Department Stores " of our 
large cities. Formerly the business they conduct was in the 
hands of a number of small dealers, but now a customer 
can buy, under one roof, almost anything he wants, from a 
paper of pins to a barrel of flour, or a set of parlor furniture. 

These changes which have revolutionized business in great 
degree are of deep interest to every one. Many thoughtful 
persons are convinced that we can no more resist them than 
we could swim against the rapids of Niagara. But the Socialists 

1 " Trusts " : A " Trust " is a combination of several independent or rival compa- 
nies so that they shall work together for the interest of all concerned. 

2 See " Statistical Abstract of the United States,'* prepared under the direction of 
the Secretary of the Treasury (1S97-1S99). 



368 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1884-1886. 



believe that the State should interfere, and that the time is 
coming when it will assume the management of railways, 
telegraph lines, and many other enterprises which are now 
under the control of corporations. 

The present conditions of doing business, however neces- 
sary they may seem to be, naturally rouse questions respect- 
ing the right employment of capital and the true relations of 
money and labor. Political parties find it for their interest 
to deal with these difficult problems — or, at least, to try to 
deal with them. For many years they have been discussed 
and voted upon, in some form, at State and Presidential 
elections. 

Meanwhile the natural world has had its sudden changes, 
tempests, and upheavals like those which disturb human affairs. 

In a single day (1884) a series of terrible tornadoes swept 
over a large part of the country east of the Mississippi. They 
levelled more than ten thousand buildings to the ground, and 
killed or w r ounded several thousand persons. 

Two years later (1886), an earthquake in Charleston, South 
Carolina, destroyed property worth $5,000,00.0. Still later 
(1888), terrific snowstorms and blizzards wrought havoc and 
death in the Northwest. 

But these, and all subsequent calamities, however sorrowful 
and ruinous they seem at the time, seldom leave any perma- 
nent mark on the history of our country. Our productive 
power is now so enormous that we can recover from almost 
any material loss in a few years. The most important lesson 
that these disasters teach us is that nothing — save national 
mistakes and national misdeeds — can long check our growth 
as a people. 

387. The Statue of Liberty. — In the autumn of 1886, the 
colossal statue 1 of "Liberty enlightening the World" was 

1 The statue is a little over a hundred and fifty feet in height. The top of the torch 
is rather more than three hundred feet above the water. The expense of the statue 



1886.] 



THE STATUE OF LIBERTY. 



369 



unveiled and lighted in the harbor of New York. The statue 
— the largest of the kind ever made — was presented to the 
United States by a great number of citizens of the Republic 
of France, as a memorial of their friendly 
feeling toward the people of this country, 
and as an expression of their confidence 
in the stability of the American govern- 
ment. 

The statue is of bronze, and represents 
the goddess, or genius, of Liberty holding 
high upraised in one hand a lighted torch, 
to show the way to those who are seeking 
the shores of the Xew World. The figure 
is of great beauty ; and at night the torch 
serves the purpose of a guiding light to all 
incoming vessels. 

388. Four Im- 
portant Laws (the 
Presidency; the 
Presidential Elec- 
tions ; Interstate 
Railroads; Chinese 
Immigrants) . — 
DuringPresident 
Cleveland's ad- - .W^-I^-^ 1 ?^— ^3^7^_-:r--^L - — 
ministration,four ' --'"^-ir - r?-— C- — ~ ~~ 

very important The Statue of Libert >- 

laws were passed by Congress. The first (1886) provided, in 
case of the death or disability of both the President and the 
Vice-President, that the Secretary of State (followed, if neces- 

was paid by subscriptions raised in France, and the work was done by the French 
sculptor, Bartholdi. at a cost of over two hundred thousand dollars. The government 
of the United States set apart Bedloe's Island, in New York Harbor, for the statue ; 
and three hundred thousand dollars were raised in this country to build the foundation 
and pedestal on which it stands. 





370 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1887-1888. 



sary by the other six members of the Cabinet) 1 should succeed 
to the office of President. 

The second law (1887) laid down certain rules for counting 
the electoral votes, in order that all uncertainty and dispute 
in regard to the election of the President might be avoided. 

The third law (1887) — the Interstate 2 Commerce Act — 
was for the purpose of regulating the charges made by all 
railroads which pass through more than one state, the object 
being to secure fair and uniform rates both for passengers and 
freight. 

The fourth law (1888) forbade any Chinese laborer to land 
on our shores. The reason for this measure was that upwards 
of a hundred thousand Chinamen had emigrated to the United 
States, — most of whom remained in California, — and their 
cheap labor was believed to be hurtful, rather than helpful, to 
the country. 

Other immigrants, it was said, come here to make the United 
States their permanent home ; but the Chinaman comes simply 
to get what he can out of the country ; he then leaves it for- 
ever. He can live on a few cents' worth of rice a day, he has 
no family to support, and so he can afford to work for wages 
on which an ordinary laborer would starve. On this account, 
Congress considered itself justified in shutting out such a class 
from a land whose doors have hitherto stood wide open to all 
the world. 3 

389. Summary. — The principal events of President Cleve- 
land's administration were: (1) The widely extended labor 
strikes; (2) the Anarchist riot in Chicago; (3) the growth of 

1 The Cabinet now consists of eight officers: 1. The Secretary of State; 2. The 
Secretary of the Treasury; 3. The Secretary of War ; 4. The Attorney-General; 5. 
The Postmaster-General ; 6. The Secretary of the Navy ; 7. The Secretary of the 
Interior; 8. The Secretary of Agriculture, created 1889. 

2 Interstate : between states. 

3 As a matter of fact, the law has thus far accomplished less than was expected ; 
since Chinamen come over in large numbers to British America, and then quietly 
cross the line into the United States. 



1889.] 



Harrison's ' administration. 



371 



labor unions, and of great corporations ; (4) the passage of four 
important laws relating to the succession and the election of 
the President, Interstate Commerce, and Chinese Immigration. 

Benjamin Harrison. 

390. Harrison's Administration (Twenty-Third President, 1889- 
1893); Opening of Oklahoma; how Cities spring up in the Far West. 

— In the centre of Indian Territory there was a large district 
(now a territory) called, in the Indian language, Oklahoma, 1 
or the "Beautiful Land." This tract was finally purchased 
from the Indians by the United States early in 1889. 

On the 2 2d of April, of that year, some fifty thousand per- 
sons were waiting impatiently on the borders of Oklahoma for 
President Harrison's 2 signal giving them permission 3 to enter 
and take up lands in the coveted region. At precisely twelve 
o'clock, noon, of that day, the blast of a bugle announced that 
Oklahoma was open to settlement. Instantly an avalanche of 
human beings rushed wildly across the line, each one eager to 
get the first chance. Towns made of rough board-shanties and 
of tents sprang up in all directions. The chief of these were 

1 See Map of the United States, page 372. 

2 Benjamin Harrison was born at North Bend, Ohio, in 1833. He is a grandson 
of President W. H. Harrison (see Paragraph 281), and his great-grandfather, Benjamin 
Harrison, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Mr. Harrison 
studied law, and opened an office at Indianapolis. In 1862 he entered the Union army 
as a second lieutenant of Indiana volunteers. Later, he was commissioned colonel of 
the Seventieth Indiana Regiment. Near the close of the war he received the title of 
brigadier-general of volunteers. In 1880 he was elected United States Senator. In 
1888 he was elected President by the Republicans (Levi P. Morton of New York, 
Vice-President) over Grover Cleveland of New York, and Allen G. Thurman of Ohio, 
the Democratic candidates. 

The chief political issue in the election was the question whether the United States 
should adopt the Democratic policy of a reduction of tariff, or that of Protection advo- 
cated by the Republicans. 

3 President Harrison's proclamation declared that no one who entered and occupied 
lands in Oklahoma before twelve o'clock, noon, of April 22, 1889, should be permitted 
to acquire rights to lands there by such entrance and occupation. This was what kept 
the " boomers," as they were called, back. 



372 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1889. 



Oklahoma City and Guthrie. At the end of four months, the 
latter had a population of about five thousand, with four daily 
papers and six banks; and arrangements, since completed, 
were made to start a line of street cars, and light the city with 
electricity. 

391. The Celebration of the Washington Centennial ; the Johns- 
town Disaster. — A week after the opening of Oklahoma, the 
centennial anniversary of the inauguration of Washington, 1 
and of the beginning of our government under the Constitu- 
tion, 2 was celebrated in New York City. The celebration 3 
began with a naval review, followed by a military review by 
President Harrison ; and closed, on the third day, with a 
grand procession of all the trades and industries of the chief 
city of America. 

In May (1889) a terrible disaster visited Western Pennsyl- 
vania. The breaking of a dam let loose a flood which rushed 
down a long narrow valley choking it with ruins, and dashing 
to pieces the greater part of Johnstown. In all, several thou- 
sand lives and property worth ten millions were destroyed. 

392. Congress of the Three Americas ; the Department of Agri- 
culture ; Admission of Six New States ; Our New Ships of War ; 
Woman-Suffrage. 4 — In the autumn (1889), representatives of the 
leading governments of Central and of South America, with 
those of the Republic of Mexico, met representatives chosen 
by the United States in a conference or congress held at 
Washington. 5 The object of the congress was to bring about 

1 See Paragraphs 196 and 199. 

2 The centennial celebration of the framing of the Constitution by the Constitu- 
tional Convention, in 1787, was held at Philadelphia, September 15-17, 1887. 

In 1888, Ohio celebrated the hundredth year of the first settlements made at 
Marietta, Cincinnati, and other points; and a grand exhibition — open for four 
months — was held at Cincinnati, to show the results of the century's progress. 

3 April 29 to May 1, 1889. 4 Suffrage: the right and power to vote. 

5 Popularly called the " Pan-American Congress " (from Pan, a Greek word, mean- 
ing all). 




JVLj\.T> of 
THE 



i n c 

UNITED STATES 




I If D 1 * 



(367) 



1889-1899.] OUR NEW SHIPS OF WAR. 373 

a closer union of the Americas, for purposes of trade and of 
mutual advantage. 

In 1889 the Department of Agriculture was included in the 
chief executive departments. It has charge of all matters 
which are of public interest to the farming population. The 
Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet. 1 

In November (1889) the President declared the four new 
states of Montana, Washington, North Dakota, and South 
Dakota admitted to the Union. The next summer ( 1890) Idaho 
and Wyoming were added. The admission of Utah (1896) 
raised the number of states to forty-five, and the flag of the 
republic will bear forty-five stars to represent them. 

The power of the American nation manifests itself not only 
on the continent, but on the ocean. The old, worn-out wooden 
vessels which made up a large part of our navy, were gradually 
replaced (1 884-1 899) by a fleet of magnificent steel war-steam- 
ers and battle-ships, named generally after states and cities. 2 

The state of Wyoming was the first admitted to the Union, 
since the adoption of the Constitution, in which women may 
vote 3 and hold office the same as men. Colorado (1893) fol- 
lowed the example of Wyoming, and (1894) elected three 
women to the legislature. Utah (1896) likewise granted equal 
suffrage to men and women. 

393. The New Pension Act ; the Sherman Silver Purchase and 
Coinage Act; the McKinley Protective Tariff. — In 1890 Con- 
gress passed three very important laws relating directly or 

1 See note on the President's Cabinet on page 37.0. 

2 The total number of vessels of all classes in the United States navy at the 
beginning of 1899 was 77; and 53 in process of construction or contracted for. 

8 Women voted in New Jersey from 1800 to 1807. Since 1869 they have voted at 
all elections in Wyoming. A law granting them similar power in Washington (then 
a territory) was declared unconstitutional by the territorial Supreme Court. Partial 
woman suffrage (especially the power to vote on questions relating to schools) now 
exists in a majority of the states. In 1893 the people of Colorado voted an Amend- 
ment to the State Constitution by which suffrage was granted to women on the same 
conditions as to men; the Constitution of Utah (1895) gi yes equal suffrage to men 
and women. 



374 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1890-1899. 



indirectly to getting, coining, or spending money. The first 
was the new Pension Act. This added nearly 480,000 names 
to the list of " invalid soldiers " or their widows to whom the 
government pays a sum of money each year. The whole num- 
ber of pensioners 1 at the beginning of 1S99 was nearly a mil- 
lion. This number will probably be increased by the late war 
with Spain. They draw nearly $400,000 a day, or more than 
$145,000,000 a year. 2 Next, Congress passed the Sherman 
Silver Purchase and Coinage Act. It directed the Treasurer 
of the United States to buy (if offered) 4,500,000 ounces, or 
more than 140 tons of silver each month. Provision was made 
for coining this silver into dollars. 3 

In the autumn Congress enacted the McKinley Tariff. 4 
Its main object was to protect American products, such as 
wool for example, and American manufactures against foreign 
competition. 5 

1 Pensions and Pensioners : see page 226, note 1. The states which formed the 
Southern Confederacy in the Civil War grant pensions to "invalid soldiers " (or their 
widows) who fought on that side. 

2 The Commissioner of Pensions reported (1S98) the total number of pensioners 
then on the rolls at 993,714. In 1898, Congress appropriated $145,000,000 for pen- 
sions ; the expenses of the Pension Bureau will be about $4,000,000 more. 

3 The Director of the Mint states that between 1873 and 1889 the value of the 
silver dollar fell gradually from a fraction over 100 cents in 1873, to about 72 cents in 
1889. In 1890 it rose to 81 cents; in 1891 it averaged 76 cents; in 1892, 67 cents; 
and in 1893, 61 cents. He attributes the fall in value first to the fact that a number 
of European countries, including Germany and Austria, long since ceased coining 
silver except for use as "change"; but secondly and chiefly, he believes silver has 
depreciated because of the enormous increase in the amount mined. In 1873 the 
world's production of the "white metal" was $81,800,000; by 1892 it had risen to 
$196,605,000, an increase of 140 per cent. See " Report of the Director of the Mint " 
for 1893, P a ges 2T-26. On the other hand, President Andrews, of Brown University, 
contends that silver has not realty fallen in value or in purchasing power, but that 
the value of gold has risen. See "Andrews' History of the United States," II. 276. 
In 1898 the actual average value, by weight, of a silver dollar was about 45 cents. See 
Report of the Secretary of the Treasury for 1898. 4 Tariff : see page 246, note 1. 

5 The McKinley Tariff contained certain provisions (called Reciprocity or " Fair 
Trade " Measures) which permitted some foreign articles to be admitted free of duty 
provided the country from which we imported them admitted American products 
free. When the McKinley Tariff was repealed in 1894 the Reciprocity Measures were 
repealed with it ; but were later re-enacted. 



1891.] 



THE CENSUS. 



375 



394. The Census of 1890 ; the Patent Office Centennial ; the 
Immigration Act ; the Homestead Strike ; Extension of Civil Ser- 
vice Reform. — The Centennial 1 census of the United States 
(1890) reported the total population at over 62, 000, 000. 2 Since 
the first national census was taken in 1790 we had gained 
more than 58,000,000 of people, and had taken possession of 
the entire breadth of the continent, from ocean to ocean. It 
is expected that by 191 5, or perhaps sooner, we shall number 
a round hundred millions. 

The next spring (1891) the Patent Office at Washington cele- 
brated its hundredth birthday. It issued its first patent (for 
making potash for the manufacture of soap) in 1790 ; by 1891 
it had issued more than 450,000. These patents show that 
American genius has entered every field which thought and 
skill can occupy. Our labor-saving machines are the most 
wonderful in the world. They are driven by hand, by horse- 
power, by wind, water, steam, and electricity, and they do so 
many kinds of work that it is getting to be difficult to think 
of any that they cannot do. 3 

1 Centennial: so called because a century had elapsed since the first census (1790) 
was taken. 

2 The exact number in 1890 was 62,622,250; in 1790 it was 3,929,214. The cen- 
sus of 1890 showed that since 1880 the centre of population had moved westward 
nearly 50 miles. See map of Movement of Population on page 194; and Table of 
Population in Appendix. 

3 Among the inventions of the nineteenth century, not previously mentioned, 
attention may be called to the following : The Gatling gun, smokeless powder, fixed 
ammunition, breech-loading cannon ; the Westinghouse air-brake for cars, the auto- 
matic electric signals, the interlocking safety switch, the automatic car-coupler, vesti- 
bule trains, the Pullman and the Wagner palace cars ; the compressed-air drill, the 
sandblast for cutting designs on glass ; the electric search-light, electric welding and 
heating ; the self-binding reaper and harvester ; aluminum ware ; enamelled kitchen 
ware ; dyes made from coal tar ; wood paper ; wire nails, gimlet-pointed screws, plain 
and barbed wire fence ; the cash-carrier for stores, the passenger elevator ; ocean 
steamers built of steel with water-tight bulkheads and twin screws; the hydraulic 
dredge ; the gas engine, the Corliss engine ; the voting machine ; the tin-can-making 
machine ; water gas ; Yale, combination, and time locks ; the bicycle, the horseless 
carriage. 

Perhaps no single invention in the latter part of the nineteenth century has had 
more remarkable results in certain directions than the " safety bicycle," introduced 



376 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1891-1893. 



During Harrison's presidency the " Farmers' Alliance " be- 
gan to take an active part in national .politics. In 1891 our 
immigration laws were amended. A Superintendent of Immi- 
gration was appointed, and it was ordered that no foreigners 
should land on our shores if proved to be paupers or criminals, 
insane or idiotic, suffering from dangerous contagious disease, 
or who were likely on any account to become a public burden. 

The second event was the great strike (1892) for higher 
wages by the workmen in the Carnegie Steel Works at Home- 
stead near Pittsburgh. Battles were fought between the 
strikers and a force of detectives hired by the company to 
protect their works. Firearms were used on both sides, and 
on both sides a number were killed. Eventually the Governor 
of Pennsylvania sent a military force to occupy the town and 
restore order. 

Just before leaving office the President (1893) extended the 
Civil Service Reform 1 so as to make it include a larger number 
of persons holding government positions. 

395. Summary. — Aside from the opening of Oklahoma and 
the admission of six new states (in two of which women may 
vote and hold office the same as men), the principal events of 
Harrison's administration were : 1. The building of many new 
ships of war ; 2. The passage of the new Pension Act, the 
Sherman Silver Purchase and Coinage Act, and the McKinley 
Protective Tariff ; 3. The Census Report, the Patent Office 
Celebration, the Homestead Strike, the amendment of our 
immigration laws, and the Extension of Civil Service Reform. 

in 1889. It has had a very decided influence on outdoor exercise, especially of 
women, on health, dress, social habits and manners, and on the improvement of roads. 

Among the most noteworthy scientific discoveries of the century (not previously 
mentioned) are : Spectrum analysis, dynamite, the use of cocaine as a local anaesthetic 
in producing insensibility to pain, the X or Roentgen Ray used in surgery (and to 
some extent in the arts) for seeing and photographing objects otherwise invisible to 
the eye, the use of antiseptics in surgical operations, and finally the discovery and 
treatment of disease germs ; and the production of liquid air. 

1 Civil Service Reform: see pages 357, note 1, and 363. 



1893.] Cleveland's second administration. 



Grover Cleveland. 1 

396. Cleveland's (Second) Administration (Twenty-Fourth Presi- 
dent, 1 893-1 897) ; the Introduction of the Australian or Secret 
Ballot. — Soon after Harrison became President (1889) a new 
kind of ballot or voting-paper was used by the people of Mas- 
sachusetts for the first time in the United States. It was called 
the Australian ballot, because it was introduced here from that 
country. One great fault in the old system of election was 
that the bystanders could see how each one voted. This often 
prevented a man from voting independently. The Australian 
method is this: First, an officer hands the voter a printed ballot 
having on it the names of all the candidates of the different 
political parties. Next, the voter, passing behind a railing, 
enters a narrow booth or stall, where no one can overlook him, 
and makes a cross opposite such candidates as he chooses. 
Finally, he folds his ballot so that no one can see what names 
he has marked, and, in the presence of an officer, deposits it in 
the ballot-box. When Mr. Cleveland was elected to his second 
term of office (1892) many states had adopted the Australian 
ballot or one resembling it. No less than forty-three states use 
it ; and it seems probable that in the course of a few years the 
two remaining states will adopt some form of secret ballot. 

397. The World's Columbian Exposition; " Hard Times " ; Re- 
peal of Two Important Acts; the Behring Sea Case. — In October 

1 Grover Cleveland (see page 363, note 1) was elected a second time by the Demo- 
crats (Adlai E. Stevenson of Illinois, Vice-President) over Benjamin Harrison (see 
page 371, note 2), the Republican candidate for re-election. The political question 
was practically the same as in the previous presidential election (see page 371, note 2). 
At this election a new party calling themselves the " People's Party," or " Populists," 
voted for James B. Weaver of Iowa for President. Out of a total of 444 "electoral 
votes," cast for all presidential candidates, he received 22, but none east of Kansas, 
which gave him 10. The " Populists" in their platform declared themselves in favor 
of the union of the labor forces of the United States to secure : 1. The ownership of 
all railroad, telegraph, and telephone lines by the national government ; 2. Free 
coinage of silver in its present ratio of 16 ounces of silver to 1 of gold; 3. The estab- 
lishment of postal savings banks ; 4. The prohibition of all alien ownership of land. 



37§ LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1893-1894. 



1892 the public schools throughout the Union celebrated the 
four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America by 
Columbus. At the same time the magnificent buildings of 
the World's Columbian Exposition 1 at Chicago were dedi- 
cated. The next spring (1893) President Cleveland opened 
the great Fair to the public. It proved to be a brilliant suc- 
cess in every respect. During the six months of its continu- 
ance this grand object-lesson of the industry and art of all 
nations was visited by upwards of twenty-seven millions of 
people. 

But the summer brought "hard times" to multitudes. There 
had been a money panic 2 in the spring which was followed by 
many disastrous failures. Property of all kinds fell in value, 
and immense numbers of people who depended on the work of 
their hands for their daily bread were thrown out of employ- 
ment. Great strikes in the coal mines and on one of the lead- 
ing coal railroads increased the distress. 

Before the presidential election the Republicans and the 
Democrats had both declared themselves on the side of "hon- 
est money," and had resolved that they would make every 
dollar, whether gold, silver, or paper, as good as any other. 

President Cleveland believed that the Sherman Silver Pur- 
chase and Coinage Act of 1890 was doing harm to the country. 
He called a special meeting of Congress (1893) which repealed 
the purchase clause in the act. This put a stop to the further 
buying of great quantities of silver, and checked the making 
of silver dollars. 3 

The next year (1894) Congress repealed another important 
law, commonly called the "Force Act" 4 (passed in 1870, 
amended in 187 1), which had permitted the general govern- 
ment to order troops to be present at elections. Meanwhile 
(1893) a serious dispute in regard to the Behring Sea was 

1 Exposition : a word v now often used for exhibition. 

2 Panic : see pages 253, note 1, 283, 350. 

3 Silver Act : see page 374. * Force Act : see page 348. 



1894.] 



THE COXEY INDUSTRIAL ARMY. 



379 



settled. We claimed that when we bought Alaska, 1 we bought 
the right to control Behring Sea and could close it against 
English and other foreign seal-hunters. The foreign seal- 
hunters denied our right to shut the sea. We seized a num- 
ber of their vessels. Finally after a long and hot dispute we 
agreed that the question should be left to a commission 2 to 
decide. They reported that Behring Sea must remain open, 
but that the seals should be properly protected, and not killed 
by everybody at all times. This protection was what we most 
wished to secure. We got it, as we did the damages for the 
destruction done by the Alabama? by peaceful means. The 
more such bloodless victories any nation can win the better 
for it and for the world. 

398. The Coxey « ' Industrial Army"; 4 the Pullman Strike; 
more "Hard Times"; Hawaii. 5 — The next spring (1894) a 
horse-dealer, named Coxey, started from Ohio to lead an 
"army" of the unemployed to Washington to demand relief 
from the government. Similar " armies " began their march 
from the Pacific States and from Texas. In all they numbered 
five or six thousand persons. Part of them were honest men 
seeking work, part were young fellows who joined for "the 
fun of the thing"; others were simply "tramps" and crimi- 
nals. When hungry these " armies " begged bread, or helped 
themselves to it without asking ; when tired of marching, and 
they soon got tired, they captured trains and travelled by 
steam. Coxey with his so-called " industrial army " reached 
the national capital, but accomplished nothing, and his fol- 
lowers soon disbanded and disappeared. 

Shortly after this, several thousand workmen employed in 
building Pullman cars at Pullman, near Chicago, struck for 

1 Alaska : see page 342. 

2 Behring Sea Commission : this commission consisted of seven eminent men 
chosen by the United States, the British Empire, France, Italy, and Norway and 
Sweden. 3 Alabama: see page 352, note 2. 

4 Or "Army of the Commo7iweal of Christ" 5 Hawaii (Hah-wy'ee). 



38O LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1894. 



higher wages. Next, the men on a number of western rail- 
roads struck in order to stop the use of these cars until the 
Pullman Company should raise the rate of wages. For a time 
trains ceased running between Chicago and San Francisco and 
other points. Much railroad property was destroyed, and the 
President felt compelled to send United States troops to Chi- 
cago and to certain points in California to protect the carry- 
ing of the mails and to maintain order. Meanwhile (1894) a 
new money panic 1 did enormous damage to all kinds of busi- 
ness and for a time made it harder than ever for men to get 
work. 

On the Fourth of July (1894) the Republic of Hawaii or of 
the Sandwich Islands was established. It was modeled on 
our government, and President Cleveland formally recognized 
Hawaii as a "free, sovereign, and independent republic." 2 But 
it was not destined to remain long in that condition, for four 
years later (1898) the islands were annexed to the United 
States. 3 

399. The Wilson Tariff ; Important Extension of Civil Service 
Reform. — After a long and bitter contest Congress enacted 
(1894) a modified form of what was originally called the Wil- 
son Tariff. It reduced protective duties about one-fourth, and 
admitted wool, salt, and lumber free. 4 It furthermore con- 
demned "trusts" and all combinations in restraint of lawful 
trade which affected imports in any way. 

President Cleveland made very important additions to the 
number of persons employed by the government who came 

1 Panic: see pages 253, note 1, 283, 350, and 378. 

2 In 1893 a part of the inhabitants of Hawaii rose in revolution, overthrew the 
queen's government and organized a provisional government which sought annexation 
to the United States. President Harrison submitted the treaty of annexation to the 
Senate, and they had it under consideration when President Cleveland came into 
power. He withdrew the treaty on the ground that it did not appear to represent 
the wishes of the majority of the people of Hawaii. 

3 On the annexation of Hawaii, see Paragraph 417. 

4 See page 374, and page 246, note 1. 



1894-1896.J 



THE "NEW WEST." 



381 



under the rules of the Civil Service Reform. 1 About ninety 
thousand places — or nearly one-half of all government posi- 
tions — are now filled by competitive examination. Once the 
applicants for such places begged them as a favor, and if they 
got them they never knew how soon they might be turned out ; 
now the holders can expect to retain them so long as they 
show themselves faithful and capable. All political parties 
are interested in helping forward this great reform. 

400. The Atlanta Exhibition ; the Admission of Utah ; the " New 
West." — In the autumn of 1895 the "Cotton States and In- 
ternational Exhibition " was opened at Atlanta, Georgia. It 
furnished fresh evidence of the astonishing progress which the 
South has made since the war. Cotton is now manufactured 
very largely in the region where it is produced, and the South- 
ern output of coal and iron is steadily increasing. 

It is interesting to see that the "freedmen" share in the 
general progress. The Southern States have given generous 
sums to promote the education of the colored people, and the 
"Negro Building" at the Atlanta Exhibition showed that many 
of them are making good use of their new opportunities for 
self-improvement and for the acquisition of property. 

Early in 1896 Utah was admitted to the Union ; this gives 
the Republic a total of forty-five states. The admission of 
Utah naturally calls attention to the marvelous growth of the 
" New West " in population, wealth, and industrial enterprise. 
Thousands of miles of railroads have been constructed in that 
section during the last ten years, cities and towns have multi- 
plied, mines of precious metals have been opened, and cattle 
ranches, sheep ranches, and grain farms are yielding food 
products on a gigantic scale. 

401. The Venezuela Question ; the General Arbitration Treaty. 

— In his third annual message (1895) President Cleveland 

1 Civil Service Reform : see pages 357, note 1, 363, and 376. The whole number 
of government positions, exclusive of the army and navy, at the close of 1894, was 
about 190,000. 



382 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1896-1897. 



expressed the hope that the long-standing dispute between 
England and Venezuela respecting the boundary line of Brit- 
ish Guiana might be settled by a joint committee of arbitra- 
tion. Unless some decisive action should be taken, he feared 
that the interests of our own nation might be seriously affected. 
England, however, took no steps in the direction suggested, and 
the President thereupon urged Congress to give him power to 
appoint a commission to determine "the true divisional line 
between the Republic of Venezuela and British Guiana." The 
President made the appointment, but while the commissioners 
were engaged in their work an agreement was made between 
England and the United States by which the Venezuela con- 
troversy was amicably settled shortly after the Presidential 
election 1 (1896). 

At the beginning of 1897 a general treaty of arbitration was 
signed by representatives of the United States and England for 
the purpose of disposing of any questions which might arise 
between the two nations, but as the Senate did not ratify the 
treaty it came to nothing. 

402. Summary. — The chief events of Cleveland's second 
administration were : (1) the introduction at presidential elec- 
tions of the Australian or secret ballot; (2) the opening of 
the World's Columbian Exposition and the Atlanta Exhibi- 
tion ; (3) the financial panic of 1893 ; the repeal of the Sher- 
man Act and of the " Force Act " ; (4) the settlement of the 
Behring Sea controversy and of the Venezuela dispute; (5) 
the Coxey " Industrial Army " movement, the Pullman strike, 
and the recognition of the Republic of Hawaii; (6) the pas- 
sage of the Wilson Tariff in a modified form, the extension of 
Civil Service Reform, and the admission of Utah. 

1 In 1896 the Democrats nominated William J. Bryan of Nebraska to the presi- 
dency on a free-silver platform and the " People's Party," or " Populists" (see note i 
on page 377), accepted Mr. Bryan as their candidate. The Republicans nominated 
Major William McKinley of Ohio. They declared themselves unalterably " opposed 
to the free coinage of silver except by international agreement with the leading com- 
mercial nations of the world." 



1897.] 



Mckinley's administration. 



383 



William McKinley. 1 

403. McKinley's Administration (Twenty-Fifth President, 1897- 
1901) ; the Dingley Tariff. — In his inaugural address the Presi- 
dent declared himself for "sound money/' for strict economy 
in the management of the government, for the advancement 
of Civil Service Reform, 2 and for the maintenance of peace 
with all the nations of the earth. 

The government was in great need of money to meet its 
expenses ; Congress passed the Dingley Tariff 3 act " to provide 
revenue for the support of the government, and to encourage 
the industries of the United States." 4 

The Dingley Tariff (1) levies duties on wool and certain other 
raw materials, which the Wilson Tariff 5 admitted free; (2) it 
generally imposes higher rates on silks, woolens and other 
woven fabrics ; (3) it keeps in force the sections of the Wil- 
son Tariff which forbade all persons forming combinations to 
restrain trade in any articles imported into the United States 
or to raise their market price. 

404. Enormous Increase in Exports ; General Grant's Tomb ; 
the Congressional Library. — During the last few years our 

1 William McKinley was born in 1843 in Niles, Ohio. He enlisted in the Civil 
War and rose to the rank of captain ; in the spring of 1865 President Lincoln pro- 
moted him to the rank of major in recognition of his "gallant and meritorious 
services." After the war he studied law and began practice in Canton, Ohio. In 
1876 the Republicans elected him to Congress. In 1890 he introduced the tariff bill 
called by his name (see Paragraph 393). In 1891 he was elected Governor of his 
native state, and again in 1893. ^ n J 896 the Republican vote, supplemented by the 
votes of many " Gold Democrats," elected him President of the United States 
(Garrett A. Hobart, of New Jersey, Vice-President) over William J. Bryan, the 
Democratic and Populist candidate. 

The great question at the election was whether the United States should adopt 
the free coinage of silver advocated by the regular Democratic Party and by the 
Populists, but opposed by the Republicans and the " Gold Democrats." 

2 See page 381, note 1. 

3 The tariff gets its name from the late Nelson Dingley, a Representative from 
Maine, who originated the measure. 5 See Paragraph 399. 

4 See the Preamble of the Dingley Tariff. 



384 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1897-1899. 



exports have increased enormously. In 1898 we shipped to 
Europe and other countries breadstuffs, provisions, and cattle 
valued at more than $500,000,000. Great Britain now de- 
pends on us for the greater part of her food supply. Ameri- 
can beef has crowded " the roast beef of Old England " off 
the table ; and when the traveller calls for bread, the waiter 
is pretty sure to bring him a loaf made of Minnesota flour. 

We also export immense quantities of cotton, petroleum, 
leather, and tobacco. 

Within the memory of men now living we did not send any 
manufactured iron or steel abroad ; on the contrary, we once 
imported most of our tools and even the locomotives and the 
rails for our railroads. To-day we can underbid the world 

in the manufacture of iron, 
steel, and copper. We are 
sending American locomo- 
tives and American rails to 
Russia, China, Japan, and, 
in some cases, to Great 
Britain ; and we are con- 
structing electric street-car 
lines in Egypt through Cairo 
to the Pyramids. Our manu- 
factured copper, our tools, 
hardware, machinery, furni- 
ture are being exported in 
constantly increasing quan- 
tities. American sewing- 
machines, watches, and re- 
volvers can now be found in 
every large city in Europe, unless they are shut out by tariff. 

In twenty-five years — and twenty-five years is a very short 
space in the life of a nation — our exports have more than 
doubled. In 1898 they were over $1,200,000,000, or almost 
twice the value of our imports. 




Grant's Tomb, Riverside Park, 
New York City. 



1897-1899.] 



" GREATER NEW YORK." 



385 



The architectural progress of our country was marked in 
1897 by two noteworthy events. In the spring General 
Grant's tomb was dedicated. It is a superb white granite 
edifice standing on the banks of the Hudson in Riverside 
Park, New York. Over the entrance are cut the significant 
words of the great commander: "Let us have peace." 




Congressional Library Building, Washington. 



In the autumn the magnificent Congressional Library Build- 
ing in Washington was opened. It is an imposing granite 
structure facing the capitol ; it has room for nearly six million 
volumes, and is perhaps the finest building of the kind in 
the world. 

405. "Greater New York"; Growth and Government of 
American Cities. — On New Year's Day, 1898, the charter of 
"Greater New York" went into operation. The metropolis 
now includes Brooklyn and a number of suburban towns. 
It covers an area of nearly 360 square miles, — or a terri- 
tory more than one-fourth that of the state of Rhode 
Island, — and its population is estimated at over 3,500,000. 



386 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1897-1899. 

This makes New York the largest city in the world except 
London. 

The rapid growth of cities is one of the most remarkable 
features in our history. In 1790, when the first census was 
taken, we had only six cities which had more than 8000 
inhabitants. Philadelphia came first with 42,000 and New 
York next with 33,000. By the last census (1890), the total 
number of cities in the United States was 438. In 1790 only 
about three persons in a hundred lived in cities, while accord- 
ing to the census of 1890 nearly thirty in a hundred — or 
almost one-third of the entire population — lived in them. 

This great change makes the good government of the United 
States depend very largely on the good government of our 
cities. If they are intelligently, honestly, and efficiently man- 
aged, all will probably go well ; but if they are badly managed, 
all is likely to go wrong. The decision of this momentous 
question rests with the voters in our cities now, but it will 
soon rest with those who are to-day pupils in the public 
schools. You who are at present studying the history of your 
country will soon be called upon to take a hand in making its 
history. Your votes will then turn the scale, and America will 
be whatever you choose it shall be. 

406. Revised State Constitutions in the South and West 

Within the past ten years (1 891-1898) several states have 
adopted new or amended constitutions. Mississippi, South 
Carolina, and Louisiana now require every voter to be able to 
read a section of the State Constitution or to pay a certain 
amount of taxes, or both. 

This change in the conditions of suffrage is expected to 
exclude the great majority of the negroes from the polls, 
and to give the white race the entire control. Several other 
southern states which have a very large black population are 
discussing the adoption of similar provisions respecting the 
ballot. 



1898.] 



SPANISH POSSESSIONS. 



387 



In 1898 South Dakota amended its constitution for the 
purpose of giving the people of the state a more direct voice 
in making its laws. The amendment provides that whenever 
five per cent of the voters — or fifty in a thousand — shall ask 
for the enactment of a law the question shall be decided at a 
special election. If, on the other hand, the same number object 
to any law which the legislature has enacted, the question of 
retaining it must be decided in the same way. 1 This method 
has been in operation in the republic of Switzerland for many 
years, but South Dakota is the first state here to make trial 
of it. 

407. Spanish Possessions in the Sixteenth Century. — It will 
be remembered that at the close of the sixteenth century 
Spaniards were the only white" men who had planted perma- 
nent colonies in North America. 2 They, too, held the West 
Indies, the greater part of South America, the Philippines, 
and other groups of islands in the east. The king of Spain 
could then boast with truth " that the sun never set on his 
dominions." 

As late almost as the beginning of the nineteenth century 
Spain still held the greater part of the West Indies, Mexico, 
Florida, and the whole vast territory between the Mississippi 
River and the "Pacific, which is now part of the United States. 

In less than twenty-five years from that time Spain had been 
forced to sell or had lost 3 all of her immense possessions on 
the mainland of North America. The only important islands 
she had left in the West Indies were Cuba and Porto Rico. 

1 This power is called the right of initiative and of referendum ; because the 
people initiate or originate legislation in the one case, while in the other they approve 
or reject the law which has been referred to them. 

2 See Paragraphs 31 and 44. 

3 See Paragraphs 215, 238, and Map of the U. S. in 1792 on page 209. Napoleon 
forced Spain to give up the great province of Louisiana to him; in 1803 he sold it to 
us; Spain felt obliged to sell us Florida, and at the same time (1819) to give up all 
claims to Oregon ; and Mexico freed herself from Spain by revolution. 



388 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1845-1897. 



408. The Revolution in Cuba ; War for Independence. — Spain's 
oppressive treatment of Cuba caused great discontent, and for 
many years there was danger of open revolt. The southern 
slave states coveted the island, which is as large as Pennsyl- 
vania and is almost in sight from Key West, Florida. In 1845 
the United States offered Spain $100,000,000 for Cuba, but 
met with a flat refusal. Later, several armed expeditions tried 
to seize the island on behalf of the South. In 1854 the Amer- 
ican ministers to Great Britain, France, and Spain met at 
Ostend, in Belgium, to discuss the Cuban question. They sent 
a dispatch called the " Osten d Manifesto " to the secretary of 
state at Washington. This famous manifesto declared that so 
long as Cuba should belong to Spain it would be dangerous 
to our peace, and that if Spain should continue to refuse to sell 
us the island we should be justified in taking it by force. 

In 1868 a rebellion broke out in Cuba 1 which lasted ten 
years. In the spring of 1895 a new uprising occurred, and 
the Revolutionists declared themselves for " independence or 
death." 2 This revolt in Cuba excited the people of the Spanish 
colony of the Philippines to declare their independence. 

President Cleveland said that if the war in Cuba should go 
on it must end in " the utter ruin of the island." He took the 
ground that rather than see that, it would be our duty to put 
a stop to the conflict. When President McKinley entered 
office the Cuban war was still raging, and an enormous amount 
of American property on the island had been destroyed. 

1 The last census taken in Cuba (1887) reported the total population at over 
1,600,000, consisting of (1) a small number of native Spaniards, who held nearly 
every position of power and trust ; (2) the white Creoles, who constituted the great 
bulk of the people ; (3) mulattoes, free negroes, and Chinamen. 

2 The progress of the rebellion developed three parties: (1) the Revolutionists, 
who demanded absolute separation from Spain ; (2) the Autonomists, who asked for 
"home rule" — that is, the management of all local affairs — without separation 
from Spain ; (3) the Spanish party in power, who opposed any change whatever. A 
very large number of Cuban farmers — called " fiacificos " — wished to remain neutral ; 
all they asked was to be let alone and allowed to cultivate their farms in peace ; but 
neither the Revolutionists nor the Spanish military authorities would permit this. 



1897-1898.] 



DEMANDS MADE ON SPAIN. 



389 



Many small Cuban farmers wished to keep on with their work 
and take no part in the struggle. But the Revolutionists drove 
them from their farms, or hanged them if they refused to give 
help ; on the other hand, General Weyler, the Spanish com- 
mander, forced scores of thousands to come within the towns 
held by his troops. There they died of pestilence and starva- 
tion. General Lee, our consul at Havana, reported that in a 
single town of 14,000 inhabitants nearly half the people starved 
to death in a single year. 

409. Demands made on Spain by the United States ; Reforms 
granted. — The United States protested against this terrible 
state of things ; finally, President McKinley demanded that 
Spain should put an end to it without further delay. 

The result was that the Spanish government called General 
Weyler back and sent out General Blanco to grant reforms. 
He tried to relieve the starving peasants, and he offered the 
Revolutionists peace and "home rule." But the Revolution- 
ists did not trust Spanish promises. They demanded inde- 
pendence, and would take nothing less ; and when General 
Blanco sent an officer to Gomez, the Revolutionist leader, to 
propose peace, Gomez had the man shot as a spy. 

410. The Destruction of the Maine ; Report of the Court of 
Inquiry. — Such was the situation in Cuba when an event 
occurred which suddenly changed everything. The United 
States had sent Captain Sigsbee in command of the battle-ship 
Maine to pay a friendly visit to Havana. On the night of 
February 15, 1898, the Maine, while lying in the harbor of 
that port, was destroyed by an explosion. Two officers and 
two hundred and sixty-four of her crew were killed. The 
terrible news acted like an electric shock on the people of 
our country. 

The United States appointed a naval Court of Inquiry to 
make an investigation. After a long and careful examination 
the court reported that, in their opinion, "the Maine was 



390 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



destroyed by the explosion of a submarine mine." The court 
found no evidence showing whether the explosion was caused 
by accident or design, and they accused no one of having 
been guilty of the act. 

The Spanish government expressed their regret at the 
"lamentable incident." They declared they believed that 
the explosion resulted from causes within the ship itself, 
and urged that the whole question should be referred to a 
committee of persons chosen by different nations. 1 This 
proposal the United States declined to accept. 

411. The President's Message; the Resolutions adopted by 
Congress. — In April, 1898, President McKinley sent a spe- 
cial message to Congress. He declared that in the " name 
of humanity," in the "name of civilization," and "in behalf of 
endangered American interests," the "war i?i Cuba must stop." 

Shortly afterward it was moved in Congress that the United 
States recognize the Cuban Republic. The motion failed. 
Then both Houses of Congress resolved (April 19, 1898) 
" that the people of Cuba are, and of right ought to be, free 
and independent." 2 In the same resolutions Congress de- 
manded that Spain should give up all sovereignty over Cuba ; 
in case Spain refused, they authorized the President to use 
the land and naval forces of the United States to compel the 
Spaniards to leave the island. 

Finally, Congress resolved that when peace should be made 
in Cuba, we would " leave the government and control of the 
island to its people." 

412. We prepare for War with Spain ; the Call for Volunteers ; 
the Call for Money ; the Navy ; War declared. — Spain refused 
to grant our demands and the country saw that we must fight. 

1 See Paragraph 371, Settlement of the Alabama case by an international com- 
mittee of arbitration. 

2 Compare the words of the motion of Richard Henry Lee of Virginia in 1776; 
see the Declaration of Independence, in the Appendix, page 1, note 1. 



1898.] 



WAR DECLARED. 



391 



The President called for 200,000 volunteers. A million of 
men stepped forward, saying: "Here am I ; take me." 

But in war, money is as necessary as men — for those who 
fight must be fed, clothed, armed, and paid. Congress had 
already placed $50,000,000 in the President's hands to buy 
ships and complete coast defences. Later, after the contest 
had actually begun, Congress gave the Secretary of the Treas- 
ury power to borrow $200,000,000 to pay the soldiers, the 
men in the navy, and for other expenses. Only three per 
cent interest was offered for the money, but the people of the 
United States were so eager to lend it to the government, 
even at that low rate, that they came forward not with 
$200,000,000, but with seven times more than was called for. 

Congress next proceeded to pass a war revenue act. The 
object of this act, which is still in force, is to meet the vari- 
ous expenses of the war and those which the war has since 
made necessary. This act levies taxes of different kinds; 1 
and requires stamps, purchased from the government, to be 
placed on bank checks, telegraphic despatches, insurance 
policies, and many other kinds of business paper. These 
taxes bring into the United States Treasury from $175,000,- 
000 to $200,000,000 annually. 

In a contest with Spain, the navy would have to act first. 
The President sent Captain William T. Sampson with a fleet 
of war-ships to blockade Havana and other ports of Cuba. 
He also ordered Commodore W. S. Schley to organize a "fly- 
ing squadron " of fast, armed steamers at Fort Monroe. This 
" flying squadron " was to be used as occasion might require. 
Congress then declared war (April 25, 1898). 

413. The Battle of Manila. — Commodore George Dewey, 
who had been with Farragut at the battle of New Orleans, 2 

1 This act imposes a tax on patent medicines, tobacco, beer ; there is also a tax on 
legacies, varying from 75 cents on each $100 up to $15 on each $100. 

2 See Paragraph 331. 



392 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY, [1898. 



was in command of our Asiatic squadron at Hong Kong, 
China. The President telegraphed to him to proceed at 
once to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, 1 and "cap- 
ture or destroy " the Spanish squadron which guarded that 
important port. Our plan was to attack Spain through her 
colonies of Cuba and the Philippines, and so strike her two 
heavy blows at the same time — one on one side of the world, 
the other on the other. 

Commodore Dewey had only six ships of war. The Span- 
iards at Manila held a fortified port ; they had twice as many 
vessels as Dewey had, but they were not equal in size or arma- 
ment to our squadron ; last of all the enemy, though brave men 
and good fighters, had never learned how to fire straight. 

On May i, 1898, Commodore Dewey sent a despatch to the 
President. He reported that he had just fought a battle in 
which he had destroyed every vessel of the Spanish squadron 
without losing a man. A French officer, who witnessed the 
fight, said that the American fire was " something awful " for 
its "accuracy and rapidity." 

Congress voted the thanks of the nation to the " Hero of 
Manila," and he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral ; 
after the war he was made Admiral (1899), and Captain 
Sampson and Commodore Schley were made Rear-Admirals. 

Soon after Dewey's splendid victory the President sent 
General Wesley Merritt to him with reinforcements. He and 
his men sailed from San Francisco direct to Manila. 

414. Cervera' s Squadron " bottled up " ; Hobson's Exploit. — 

Shortly before the battle of Manila Admiral Cervera left the 
Cape Verde Islands with a Spanish squadron consisting of 
four armed cruisers and three torpedo-boat destroyers. No- 
body in America knew whether Cervera was headed for Cuba 
or whether he meant to shell the cities on our eastern coast. 
Commodore Schley set out with his " flying squadron " to 

1 See Map of the United States and Dependent Territories on page 396. 



1898.] 



CERVERA S SQUADRON. 



393 



find the enemy. After a long and anxious search, he discov- 
ered that Cervera had entered the harbor of Santiago on the 
southeast coast of Cuba. When the Commodore heard where 
the Spanish ships had taken refuge, he said with a grim smile : 
"They will never get home." They never did. 

A few days later Captain Sampson sailed in command of 
a number of war-ships for Santiago. One of his squadron, 
was the battle-ship Oregon, built on the Pacific coast. It 
had come from San Francisco, through the Straits of Magel- 
lan — an exciting voyage of over thirteen thousand miles — 
in order to take part in the fight. 

The entrance to the harbor of Santiago is long, narrow, 
and crooked ; furthermore, it was protected by land batteries 
and submarine mines. This made it very hazardous for our 
ships to attempt to enter to attack the enemy. 

On the other hand, Cervera's vessels could not come out 
without running the risk of destruction from our fleet, which 
watched the entrance to the harbor as a cat watches a rat- 
hole. But though Cervera's ships were "bottled up," there 
was danger that they might slip out, under cover of darkness 
or fog, and so elude our guns. 

Captain Sampson resolved to " cork the bottle " and pre- 
vent the Spaniards from escaping. Lieutenant Hobson, a 
young officer from Alabama, begged permission to undertake 
the experiment, which seemed to everybody like rushing 
straight into the jaws of death. With the help of seven 
sailors, all as daring as himself, Hobson ran the coal-ship 
Merrimac into the Santiago channel and sank the vessel 
part way across it. The Spaniards captured Hobson and his 
men. They soon exchanged them for Spanish prisoners of 
war held by us ; and when the leader landed in New York, he 
found himself the hero of the day. 

415. Fighting near Santiago; the " Rough Riders " ; Destruc- 
tion of Cervera's Squadron. — A few weeks later General Shafter 



394 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1898. 



landed a strong force near Santiago to cooperate with Captain 
Sampson in the capture of that city. A sharp skirmish with 
the enemy showed the fighting qualities 
of our "regulars" and of the regiment 
of "Rough Riders," 1 who here fought 
on foot. 

A week afterward (July 1-2, 1898) our 
men stormed up the steep heights of El 
Caney and San Juan, 2 overlooking the 
city of Santiago. In spite of defences 
made of barbed wire, and all other de- 
coionei Roosevelt. vices of the enemy, they drove the Span- 

ish, with heavy loss, pellmell into the city. 
Captain Sampson then went down the coast a short dis- 
tance to confer with General Shafter about making an attack 
on the city. He left Commodore Schley, of the Brooklyn^ in 
command of the fleet. He gave him orders to keep a sharp 
lookout for Cervera ; for though Hobson had risked his life 
in sinking the Merrimac, yet he had only succeeded in half 
corking the bottle. 

Not long after Captain Sampson left, a great shout went up 
from the Brooklyn: "The Spaniards are coming out of the 
harbor ! " Both sides opened fire at the same moment (July 
3, 1898). But the Spanish Admiral, with his squadron of six 
vessels, stood small chance against our powerful fleet of eleven 
vessels, comprising four first-class battle-ships. 3 

1 At the beginning of the war Theodore Roosevelt, then Assistant Secretary of the 
Navy, suggested raising a force of volunteer cavalry. A regiment, which later became 
popularly known as " Roosevelt's Rough Riders," was recruited by Colonel Wood 
and Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt. Many of the " Rough Riders'' were "cowboys " 
from Texas and other parts of the West. They were joined by college graduates, 
" club-men," and sons of wealthy families from the East, who were equally daring and 
equally fond of adventure. At the battle of San Juan, Roosevelt, at the head of the 
" Rough Riders," led the assault, and they, with the 71st New York Volunteers and 
other forces, carried all before them. 

2 San Juan (San Whan), Spanish pronunciation. 

3 Our fleet, then off Santiago (July 3, 1898), consisted of eleven vessels of war, 




1898.] 



THE END OF THE WAR, 



395 



In a few hours nothing was left of the enemy's squadron 
but helpless, blazing wrecks ; and Cervera himself was taken 
prisoner. Spain still had a few war-ships left, but she kept 
them at home to protect her coast. So far as we were con- 
cerned her sea-power was destroyed, and the war on the ocean 
was over. 

416. The End of the War. — Shortly after this decisive defeat 
the Spaniards surrendered Santiago. A few days later Spain 
asked, through the French ambassador at Washington, on what 
terms we would be willing to make peace. On August 12, 1898, 
the Secretary of State and the French ambassador signed a pro- 
tocol, 1 or first draft for a treaty of peace, the full terms of which 
were to be decided later. 

The President at once ordered all fighting on land and sea 
to stop. General Nelson A. Miles, Commander of the Army of 
the United States, was then at the head of a body of troops in 
Porto Rico. 2 He was preparing for a decisive battle when the 
President's order to suspend hostilities arrived. The Spanish 
governor of the island then surrendered to General Miles. 

Before the President's despatch could reach the Philippines, 
Rear-Admiral Dewey and General Merritt had attacked and 
taken Manila (August 15, 1898). 

417. Annexation of Hawaii 3 ; the Treaty of Peace. — After 
Dewey's splendid victory at Manila in the spring of 1898, 

among which were the battle-ships Iowa, Indiana, Oregon, and Texas. The battle- 
ship Massachusetts and Captain Sampson's flag-ship, the New York, were absent on 
duty elsewhere. Cervera had six war-vessels, none of which were battle-ships. 

1 Protocol (pro'to-kol) , the first draft of any public document on which a treaty is 
to be based. 2 Porto Rico or Puerto Rico. 

3 See Paragraph 398. Hawaii (Hah-wy'ee) ; the Hawaiian group consists of 
twelve islands having a total area of about. 7000 square miles. The Hon. James 
Bryce in a recent article on Hawaii gives their estimated population at about 137,000 ; 
of this number some 14,000 are Americans and English; 75,000 are natives; 40,000 
are Japanese and Chinese ; and lastly there are about 9000 Portuguese. Only a small 
proportion of the total population can speak English. 



396 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1898-1899. 



Captain Mahan and other eminent men in our navy urged 
the annexation of Hawaii. 

They believed that we needed the islands as a military base 
of defence and of naval operations in the Pacific. 

When the question came up in the United States Senate 
there was strong opposition. A number of Senators declared 
that the people of the Republic of Hawaii had not been fully 
and fairly consulted. But the resolution to annex passed by 
a vote of 42 to 21, or just enough to give the majority of two- 
thirds which was required to carry it; and on July 7, 1898, 
Hawaii became a part of the territory of the United States. 

The Peace Commission, appointed by the American and 
the Spanish governments, met in Paris in the autumn (1898). 
They completed their work and signed the treaty in December. 

By the terms of the treaty Spain (1) gives up all right and 
title to Cuba ; (2) she cedes Porto Rico 1 and Guam, the largest 
island in the Ladrones, 2 to the United States; (3) finally, 
Spain cedes the entire group of the Philippines 3 to us, on 
payment by us of $20,000,000 for the public works which the 
Spanish government had constructed in those islands. 

When the question of ratifying the treaty came before the 
Senate, 4 a part of the members objected to our taking posses- 

1 Porto Rico, with its three small dependent islands, has an area of over 3500 
square miles, and is therefore nearly three times as large as the state of Rhode Island. 
According to the last census (1887) it had a population of whites, negroes, and 
mulattoes estimated at over 800,000. 

2 Guam (see Map on page 396) is about 100 miles in circumference; it has a few 
inhabitants ; it was seized by the United States, during the war with Spain, as a 
naval port. 

3 The Philippines (see Map on page 396) comprise over 400 islands, many of 
which are very small. They have a total area of over 114,000 square miles. Luzon, 
the largest of the islands of which Manila is the capital, has an area of nearly 40,000 
square miles and is therefore nearly as large as the state of Ohio. The Philippines 
have a population estimated at from 9,000,000 to 11,000,000. The greater part of 
the inhabitants are (1) Malays, (2) savage tribes of an undersized negro-like race, and 
(3) Chinese. 

4 The President may make a treaty provided two-thirds of the Senators present 
vote in favor of it. See the Constitution in the Appendix, page xii, Section II. 



1899.] THE TREATY OF PEACE. 397 

sion of the Philippines. They contended that we could not 
give the semi-civilized or barbarous people of those islands 
the rights and privileges of American citizenship ; and that, 
on the other hand, we could not hold them under permanent 
military rule without violating the spirit of the American 
Republic. They urged, too, that the expense and difficulty 
of governing so distant a territory would be very great, and 
that there would be serious danger of our getting into war 
with some of the nations of Europe over questions that would 
arise about the islands. 

They wished to amend the treaty so that it would simply 
make us the guardians over the Philippines, as in the case of 
Cuba, until the people of those islands should be able to gov- 
ern them. 

But a large majority of the Senate held that the Philippines 
would be safer, and in every way better off, if they became 
a part of the United States. They argued that we have no 
choice; the war, said they, has forced us to annex distant 
islands ; it has thus made us a " world-power "; and our trade 
interests with China and the far East demand that we should 
own the whole Philippine group. We can hold them, they 
said, as we do Alaska, under some form of territorial govern- 
ment, until we see our way to do differently. 

While the discussion was going on the natives attacked our 
forces at Manila. A fierce battle ensued, with the result that 
General Otis and Rear-Admiral Dewey drove back the insur- 
gents with terrible loss. The news of the battle was at once 
sent to Washington. The next day, February 6, 1899, the 
Senate met to take action on the treaty with Spain. Fifty- 
seven Senators voted for the treaty as it stood, against twenty- 
seven who voted against it. The result was that the treaty was 
ratified by one more than the two-thirds majority which the Con- 
stitution requires. 1 The whole Philippine group, and the islands 
of Porto Rico and Guam now belong to the United States. 
1 See the Constitution in the Appendix, page xii, Section II. 



398 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1899. 



Territorially considered, the results of the war are: 1. We 
have acquired many important possessions in both the Atlantic 
and the Pacific, all of which we shall be called upon to defend 
and develop, if we decide to continue to hold them all. 2. The 
United States has become the guardian of Cuba, and intends 
to remain so until the people of that island shall either estab- 
lish an independent republic or become members and citizens 
of the American Union. In the latter case Cuba would event- 
ually join the ranks of the Southern States, and so add one 
more star to our national flag. 

In the meantime the Spanish had withdrawn from Cuba. 
At noon on New Year's Day, 1899, the Spanish flag was hauled 
down at Havana and the Stars and Stripes were hoisted above 
the palace and the castle of that ancient city. The Spanish 
general then bade a sorrowful farewell to the beautiful island. 
Spain, once so rich in American possessions, 1 does not now 
own a single foot of land on this side of the Atlantic. 

418. The Cost of the War in Money and Life; Work of the 
"Red Cross" and of the Women of America. — The direct cost 
of the war with Spain was about $130,000,000. The increased 
expenses of the government in consequence of the war cannot 
be estimated closely, but they will probably be very heavy. 
We shall have to maintain a much larger standing army than 
we did formerly ; for we must preserve order in Cuba, Porto 
Rico, and the Philippines. We may have to build more ships 
of war soon ; and we must pay pensions to the disabled soldiers 
and sailors who fought against Spain, and to the widows of 
those who were killed or died of disease. 

No successful campaign in the records of our history was 
ever fought at such small cost of life in battle; the total loss 
in a hundred days' fighting being less than 430. Many more, 
however, died from disease. 

The war showed the wonderful fighting power of our navy 

1 See Paragraph 407. 



1898-1899.] AGRICULTURAL PROSPERITY. 



399 



and of our land forces — both "regulars " and volunteers. It 
united the Union and the Confederate veterans under the old 
flag ; and it brought the "Red Cross Society" 1 and the women 
of America to the front in their noble work of ministering to 
the wounded, the sick, and the dying. 

419. The "Trans-Mississippi Exposition"; Cheap Lands; 
Agricultural Prosperity ; the Preservation of Forests ; National 
Wealth. — While the war with Spain was going on, the "Trans- 
Mississippi Exposition " was opened at Omaha, Nebraska 
(June 1, 1898). The object of this grand fair was to exhibit 
to the world the marvellous growth and resources of the states 
and territories west of the Mississippi. 

Spain held that vast region for nearly three hundred years, 
and expected to hold it forever. 2 Through it Coronado wan- 
dered in his search for gold. 3 Fifty years ago the greater 
part of it was an unexplored wilderness. Not a single mile 
of railroad penetrated the country; and the school maps of 
that day marked a central portion, covering many thousand 
square miles, with the forbidding name: "Great American 
Desert." 

The building of railroads 4 and the generous offer by the 
government of cheap lands, and finally of free lands, made 
rapid changes in that part of the country. 

Under the Homestead Act, to which reference has been 
made, 5 every permanent settler receives 160 acres of land 

1 The "Red Cross Society" was organized in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1864, by 
delegates from the chief nations of the world. Its object is to take care of all sick 
and wounded soldiers, whether friends or enemies, who may need immediate help. 
Miss Clara Barton is the President of the "American National Red Cross." Miss 
Helen Gould, of New York, and other wealthy society women in different parts of the 
country, contributed very large sums for the relief of the soldiers and sailors in the 
war, and in some cases they or their friends acted as nurses in the hospitals. 

2 See Paragraphs 215, 286, and Map of the U. S. in 1792 showing the Province of 
Louisiana, and the Oregon country. The remainder of what had been Spanish terri- 
tory we gained through the annexation of Texas and the cessions made by Mexico at 
the close of the Mexican war and in 1853. 4 See Paragraphs 255, 270, 368. 

3 See Paragraph 21. 5 See Paragraph 368. 



400 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. [1898-1899. 

practically free of charge. It is estimated that between 1862 
and the present time, Western farmers have taken up over 
170,000,000 acres, or over 260,000 square miles. This enor- 
mous area is more than four times the size of England and 
Wales, and nearly six times larger than Pennsylvania. Forty 
years ago it was the home of the buffalo, and the hunting- 
ground of the Indian; now it is cultivated by men who own 
it, live on it, and prosper by it. 

A noted writer has said that it is a great thing for any one 
to make two ears of corn or two blades of grass grow where 
only one grew before. But the "Trans-Mississippi Exposi- 
tion " showed that the Western farmer has done even better 
than this ; for he has made corn grow where it never grew 
before, and in some cases he has made grass spring up where 
not a blade of it was ever seen. 

The liberal government policy which gave homesteads to 
tens of thousands of hard-working, thrifty settlers, and thereby 
enriched the country, did not stop there; it also gave large 
tracts of land to each state to establish agricultural colleges. 
More than forty of these educational institutions have been 
founded. In many cases they have been productive of great 
good; and, if well managed, they will sow the seed for a har- 
vest of still greater good. 

The year 1898 was one of almost unexampled agricultural 
prosperity for the United States. The West raised enormous 
crops of grain. The foreign demand put up the price. Mil- 
lions of bushels were sent abroad which were paid for in gold, 
filling the farmer's pockets and adding largely to the wealth 
of the country. 

But progress has been made in other directions equally 
important to agriculture, and to the country at large. An 
old maxim tells us that a "penny saved is a penny got." 
This holds as true of millions of dollars as it does of pennies. 

One great source of waste in the United States has been the 
needless destruction of great areas of forest. Where the trees 



1899.] 



GENERAL SUMMARY, 



401 



covering a large extent of country are cut down or burned, 
the streams in that section often become devastating torrents 
in the spring, and then suddenly dry up in hot weather. 
This condition of things has a direct effect on the cultivation 
of the soil and on the production of agricultural wealth. 

Since 1891 the general government and a number of state 
governments have turned their attention to the preservation 
of forests. 

Ten years ago the total forest area in the United States, 
not including Alaska and Indian reservations, w r as about 
480,000,000 acres. This is an immense and seemingly inex- 
haustible extent of wood-land; but great as it is, it is rapidly 
disappearing. Forest fires every year destroy about 430,000 
acres of timber worth £20,000,000. 

The lumberman's axe, the saw-mill, and the pulp-mill de- 
mand almost incredible quantities of wood for lumber, for 
the manufacture of paper, and for various kinds of hollow 
ware, such as pails and tubs. 

The United States now sets apart certain forest districts in 
order to preserve them and preserve the streams which rise 
in them. Furthermore, many states, notably those at the 
West which have great areas of treeless plains, have appointed 
one day in the year, called "Arbor Day," for tree-planting. 
By these means it is hoped that the good work of saving the 
woods and in some cases of actually creating them may in 
time prove of great benefit to the whole country. # 

The estimated increase of the real and personal property 
of the United States from 1880 to 1890 was nearly 50 per 
cent. Should the same rate of increase continue, the "true 
valuation " or fair selling price of the total property of the 
country at the beginning of the twentieth century will prob- 
ably not fall much short of $100, 000, 000, 000. 1 

420. General Summary. — In this book we have tried to 
trace the progress of our country from its earliest period to 

1 This estimate is made by a United States government census specialist. 



402 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



[1899. 



the present time. We have seen it grow from a few feeble 
colonies, planted along the Atlantic coast, to a group of thir- 
teen sturdy and independent states. 

We have followed the development of that commonwealth 
of states and their added territories into a great, prosperous, 
and powerful nation, which numbered at the last census (1890) 
over sixty millions of people, 1 and which now not only extends 
from rjcean to ocean, but embraces important islands in both 
the Atlantic and the Pacific. 

With the single exception of Russia in Asia,' 2 the American 
Republic controls the largest portion of the earth's surface, 3 
under the management of any one government on any one of 
the grand divisions of the globe. 

Here every advantage is open. Education is absolutely free. 
Millions of acres of Western lands are free. Here, and here 
only, among the leading civilized nations, no colossal standing 
army eats up the daily earnings of the people. 4 Here every law 
springs, or may spring, directly from the will of the majority. 

These facts prove the truth of the motto chosen for this 
book. They show that America means Opportunity. In clos- 
ing this brief history can we do better than ask, each one of 
himself, What use do I intend to make of this opportunity ? 
The whole future of the Republic for good or ill, for growth 
or decay, for glory or shame, depends on the way in which 
we individually answer this question. 

1 It is believed that our population now (1S99) is not less than 75,000,000. 

2 The Chinese Empire is not excepted, because, in the first place, authorities 
differ very widely as to its area (the Encyclopaedia Britannica estimating it at only 
about 3,000,000 square miles) ; and next, for the reason that Warren and others state 
that a large part of the country is only " nominally " subject to the emperor. 

3 The area of the United States, including Alaska, but not including Hawaii or 
island dependencies, is nearly or quite 3,600,000 square miles ; adding the islands, it 
would be considerably over 3,600,000 square miles. 

4 The leading standing armies of Europe are : Russia, over 835,000 ; France, nearly 
590,000; Germany, over 562,000; Great Britain, over 220,000. The Secretary of 
War has recently recommended that the standing army of the United States be per- 
manently increased to 100.000 men. 



DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 



DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 

In Congress, July 4, 1776. 

A DECLARATION BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED 
STATES OF AMERICA, IN CONGRESS 1 ASSEMBLED. • 

WHEN, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to 
dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to 
assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the 
laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions oi 
mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the 
separation. 



1 The First Continental or General Congress met in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, Sep- 
tember 5, 1774. It consisted of forty-four delegates, representing eleven of the thirteen 
colonies. Later, eleven more delegates took their seats, and all of the colonies were repre- 
sented except Georgia, which promised to concur with " her sister colonies " in their effort to 
maintain their rights as English subjects. Peyton Randolph of Virginia was elected Presi- 
dent of the Congress. Among the distinguished men who had assembled there, were Washing- 
ton, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, John Dickinson, William Livingston, John Jay, 
John Adams, Samuel Adams, Roger Sherman, and the Rutledges of South Carolina. 

On the 14th of October, the Congress adopted a Declaration of Colonial Rights. On the 
26th, a Petition to the King, asking the redress of their wrongs, was drawn up. 

The Second Continental Congress (at which Georgia was represented), met in Philadelphia, 
in the State House (Independence Hall), May 10, 1775. A second Petition to the King was 
adopted, and Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental army, though 
Congress still denied any intention of separating from Great Britain, and earnestly expressed 
a desire for the peaceful settlement of all difficulties. 

The King's Proclamation, declaring the Colonies in rebellion, and calling for volunteers to 
force them to submit to taxation without representation, and other unjust measures, finally 
convinced the delegates to Congress of the impossibility of our continuing our allegiance to the 
English crown. 

On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia moved "That these United Colonies 
are, and of right ought to be, free a7id i?idependent states.'" John Adams of Massachusetts 
seconded the motion. 

Later, a committee of five — Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, 
Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert R. Living- 
ston of New York — was appointed to draft the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson 
drew up the paper, though a few alterations were made in it by the committee and by 
Congress. 

It was adopted on the evening of July 4, 1776, and signed by John Hancock, President of 
Congress, and Charles Thomson, Secretary. On August 2, 1776, it was signed by the men- 
bers, representing all the thirteen states. 



11 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



We hold these truths to be self-evident : — That all men are created equal ; that 
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among 
these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, 
governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent 
of the governed ; that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of 
these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a 
new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its 
powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and 
happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate, that governments long established 
should not be changed for light and transient causes ; and accordingly all experi- 
ence hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer while evils are suffei- 
able, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accus- 
tomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the 
same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their 
right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for 
their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies ; and 
such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems 
of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of 
repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of 
an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a 
candid world. 

He has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome and necessary for the 
public good. 

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing impor- 
tance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained ; and 
when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. 

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of 
people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legis- 
lature — a right inestimable to them, and formidable to tyrants only. 

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and 
distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing 
them into compliance with his measure. 

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing, with manly 
firmness, his invasions on the rights of the people. 

He has refused, for a long time after such dissolutions, to cause others to be 
elected, whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to 
the people at large for their exercise ; the State remaining, in the mean time, ex- 
posed to all the dangers of invasions from without, and convulsions within. 

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States ; for that purpose 
obstructing the laws for the naturalization of foreigners ; refusing to pass others to 
encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations 
of lands. 

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws 
for establishing judiciary powers. 

He has made judges dependent on his will alone for the tenure of their offices, 
and the amount and payment of their salaries. 



DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 



Ill 



He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to 
harass our people and eat out their substance. 

He has kept among us in times of peace, standing armies, without the consent 
of our legislatures. 

He has affected to render the military independent of, and superior to, the civil 
power. 

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our con- 
stitutions, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pre- 
tended legislation : 

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us ; 

For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any murders which 
they should commit on the inhabitants of these States; 

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world ; 

For imposing taxes on us without our consent ; 

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury ; 

For transporting us beyond seas, to be tried for pretended offences ; 

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, estab- 
lishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries, so as to 
render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute 
rule into these colonies ; 

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering, 
fundamentally, the forms of our governments ; 

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with 
power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. 

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection, and 
waging war against us. 

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and de- 
stroyed the lives of our people. 

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete 
the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of 
cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally un- 
worthy the head of a civilized nation. 

He has constrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive on the high seas, to bear 
arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and breth- 
ren, or to fall themselves by their hands. 

He has excited domestic insurrection among us, and has endeavored to bring 
on the inhabitants of our frontiers the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule 
of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions. 

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most 
humble terms ; our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. 
A prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is 
unfit to be the ruler of a free people. 

Nor have we been wanting in our attentions to our British brethren. We have 
warned them, from time to time, of attempts by their legislature to extend an un- 
warrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances 
of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice 



iv 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



and magnanimity; and we have conjured them, by the ties of our common kin- 
dred, to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connec- 
tions and correspondence. They, too, have been deaf to the voice of justice and 
consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity which denounces 
our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in 
peace friends. 

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General 
Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the recti- 
tude of our intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good people of 
these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and 
of right ought to be, free and independent states ; that they are absolved from all 
allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and 
the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; and that, as free 
and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract 
alliances, establish commerce, and do all other acts and things which independent 
states may of right do. And, for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance 
on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our 
lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. 



The foregoing Declaration was, by order of Congress, engrossed, and signed by 
the following members : — 

JOHN HANCOCK. 



NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

JOSIAH BARTLETT, 

William Whipple, 
Matthew Thornton. 

MASSACHUSETTS BAY 
Samuel Adams, 
John Adams, 
Robert Treat Paine, 
Elbridge Gerry. 

RHODE ISLAND 
Stephen Hopkins, 
William Ellery. 

CONNECTICUT. 
Roger Sherman, 
Samuel Huntington, 
William Williams, 
Oliver Wolcott. 

NEW YORK. 
William Floyd, 
Philip Livingston, 
Francis Lewis, 
Lewis Morris. 



NEW JERSEY. 
Richard Stockton, 
John Witherspoon, 
Francis Hopkinson, 
John Hart, 
Abraham Clark. 

PENNSYLVANIA. 
Robert Morris, 
Benjamin Rush, 
Benjamin Franklin, 
John Morton, 
George Clymer, 
James Smith, 
George Taylor, 
James Wilson, 
George Ross. 

DELAWARE. 
Cesar Rodney, 
George Read, 
Thomas M'Kean. 

MARYLAND. 
Samuel Chase, 
William Paca, 
Thomas Stone, 



Charles Carroll, of Car- 
rollton. 

VIRGINIA. 

George Wythe, 
Richard Henry Lee, 
Thomas Jefferson, 
Benjamin Harrison, 
Thomas Nelson, Jr., 
Francis Lightfoot Lee, 
Carter Braxton. 

NORTH CAROLINA. 
William Hooper, 
Joseph Hewes, 
John Penn. 

SOUTH CAROLINA 
Edward Rutledge, 
Thomas Hayward, Jr., 
Thomas Lynch, Jr., 
Arthur Middleton. 

GEORGIA. 
Button Gwinnett, 
Lyman Hall, 
George Walton. 



DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 



V 



Resolved, That copies of the Declaration be sent to the several assemblies, con- 
ventions, and committees, or councils of safety, and to the several commanding 
officers of the continental troops; that it be proclaimed in each of the United 
States, at the head of the army. 



vi 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 1 

We, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, 
establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defence, pro- 
mote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our 
posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of 
America. 

ARTICLE I. 

Section i. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress 2 
of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. 



1 Before the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, the Thirteen Colonies were subject 
to the king of Great Britain. From July 4, 1776, the United States of America were governed 
by a Continental or General Congress, until March 1, 1781, when the states adopted a con- 
stitution, called the "Articles cf Confederation and Perpetual Union between the States." 
The Confederation had no president, no supreme court ; and consisted of a single house of 
Congress, made up of delegates elected by the legislatures of the states. Under this constitu- 
tion Congress continued to govern — in so far as a body with no practical authority can be 
said to govern — until March 4, 1789; but on May 14, 1787, a convention of delegates from 
all the states, except Rhode Island, met in Philadelphia " to form a more perfect union" (see 
the opening words of the Constitution above). The whole number of delegates that attended 
was fifty-five, but only thirty-nine signed the Constitution. The Articles of Confederation 
had been made by the States only; but as the opening words of the new compact declare, 
" We, the People,' 1 '' made the Constitution. 

George Washington presided over the convention, and Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, 
James Madison, Rufus King, Roger Sherman, Alexander Hamilton, John Dickinson, Charles 
C. Pinckney, Charles Pinckney, J. Rutledge, and Gouverneur Moms, were among its distin- 
guished members. 

Madison, Hamilton, Washington, and Franklin took the leading part in the great work of 
drafting the new Constitution, and after its adoption by the convention, Madison and Hamil- 
ton used their influence, with great effect, to urge its ratification by the states, especially by 
New York (see their papers in the Federalist). 

After a stormy session of nearly four months, during which the convention several times 
threatened to break up in hopeless dispute, the Constitution was at last adopted. (For the 
compromises on which it rested, see page 192, note 3.) 

While the members of the convention were signing the Constitution (for its leading pro- 
visions, see page 194), the venerable Dr. Franklin, then aged eighty-one, rose and said : " I 
have often, in the course of the session, and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears as to its 
issue, looked at the sun [painted on the wall back of the president's chair], without being able 
to tell whether it was rising or setting; but now, at length, I have the happiness to know that 
it is a rising, and not a setting sun." 

The Constitution was then submitted to the thirteen states. In 1788 eleven had ratified 
it (Rhode Island and North Carolina declining then, though they gave their assent before the 
close of 1790), and on March 4, 1789, the new Constitution went into operation, although, 
owing to delays, Washington was not inaugurated as the first President until April 30 of that 
year. 

2 Congress assembles on the first Monday in December: the session closes, by custom, at 
midnight on the 3d of the following March. Each Congress exists two years. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 



vii 



SECTION 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen 
every second year by the people of the several States, and the electors in each State 
shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of 
the State Legislature. 

No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained to the age of 
twenty-five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who 
shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be 
chosen. 

Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States 
which may be included within this Union, according to their respective numbers, 1 
which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, includ- 
ing those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, 
three-fifths of all other persons. 2 The actual enumeration shall be made within 
three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within 
every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. 
The number of representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but 
each State shall have at least one representative : and until such enumeration shall 
be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose three ; Massa- 
chusetts, eight; Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, one ; Connecticut, five; 
New York, six ; New Jersey, four ; Pennsylvania, eight ; Delaware, one ; Maryland, 
six; Virginia, ten; North Carolina, five; South Carolina, five; and Georgia, three. 

When vacancies happen in the representation from any State, the executive 
authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies. 

The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker 3 and other officers ; 
and shall have the sole power of impeachment. 

SECTION 3. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two senators 
from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six years ; and each senator 
shall have one vote. 

Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first election, 
they shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes. The seats of the 
senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year; of 
the second class, at the expiration of the fourth year; of the third class, at the ex- 
piration of the sixth year, so that one-third may be chosen every second year ; and 
if vacancies happen by resignation, or otherwise, during the recess of the Legis- 
lature of any State, the executive thereof may make temporary appointments until 
the next meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies. 

No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty 
years, and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when 
elected, be an inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen. 

The Vice-President of the United States shall be president of the Senate, but 
shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided. 



1 At present (census of 1890) one representative is sent to Congress for every 
173,901 persons. 

2 " Persons" meaning slaves. This has been amended (by Amendments XIII. and XIV.), 
and is no longer in force. 

8 The Speaker presides. Other officers are the clerk, sergeant-at-arms, door-keeper, etc. 



VI 11 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



The Senate shall choose their other officers, 1 and also a president pro tempore, 
in the absence of the Vice-President, or when he shall exercise the office of Presi- 
dent of the United States. 

The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments : When sitting 
for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the 
United States is tried, the Chief-Justice shall preside: and no person shall be con- 
victed without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present. 

Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal 
from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or 
profit under the United States ; but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable 
and subject to indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment, according to law. 

Section 4. The times, places, and manner of holding elections for senators 
and representatives shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; 
but the Congress may at any time, by law, make or alter such regulations, except 
as to the places of choosing senators. 

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall be 
on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. 

Section 5. Each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns, and qualifi- 
cations of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to 
do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and maybe 
authorized to compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner, and 
under such penalties, as each house may provide. 

Each house-may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for 
disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member. 

Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time pub- 
lish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy, and 
the yeas and nays of the members of either house on any question shall, at the 
desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered on the journal. 

Neither house, during the session of Congress, shall, without the consent of the 
other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which 
the two houses shall be sitting. 

SECTION 6. The senators and representatives shall receive a compensation 2 for 
their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United 
States. They shall in all cases, except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, be 
privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective 
houses, and in going to and returning from the same ; and for any speech or de- 
bate in either house, they shall not be questioned in any other place. 

No senator or representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be 
appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall 
have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased, during 
such time ; and no person holding any office under the United States, shall be a 
member of either house during his continuance in office. 



1 The chief of these are the secretary, sergeant-at-arms, door-keeper, etc. 

2 $ 5000 a year, with twenty cents for every mile necessarily travelled in coming to and 
returning from the Capital. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 



ix 



SECTION 7. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Repre- 
sentatives ; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills. 

Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, 
shall, before it become a law, be presented to the President of the United States ; 
if he approve, he shall sign it, but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to 
that house in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large 
on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such reconsideration, two- 
thirds of that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the 
objections, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if ap- 
proved by two-thirds of that house, it shall become a law. But in all such cases the 
votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the 
persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each house 
respectively. If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days 
(Sunday excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a 
law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their adjourn- 
ment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law. 

Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and 
House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment) 
shall be presented to the President of the United States ; and before the same shall 
take effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be re- 
passed by two-thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the 
rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill. 

SECTION 8. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, 
imposts, and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defence and 
general welfare of the United States ; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be 
uniform throughout the United States ; 

To borrow money on the credit of the United States ; 

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States, and 
with the Indian tribes ; 

To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject 
of bankruptcies throughout the United States ; 

To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the 
standard of weights and measures ; 

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin 
of the United States ; 

To establish post-offices and post-roads ; 

To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing, for limited 
times, to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and 
discoveries ; 

To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court ; 

To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and 
offences against the law of nations ; 

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concern- 
ing captures on land and water ; 

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be 
for a longer term than two years ; 



X 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



To provide and maintain a navy ; 

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces ; 

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, sup- 
press insurrections and repel invasions. 

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and for govern- 
ing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, 
reserving to the States respectively the appointment of the officers, and the author- 
ity of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress ; 

To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever over such district (not 
exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular States, and the accep- 
tance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to 
exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the Legislature 
of the State in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, 
dockyards, and other needful buildings; — And 

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execu- 
tion the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the 
government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof. 

Section 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the States 
now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress 
prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be 
imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person. 1 

The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when 
in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it. 

No bill of attainder or ex-post-facto law shall be passed. 

No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census 
or enumeration herein before directed to be taken. 

No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any State. 

No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the 
ports of one State over those of another; nor shall vessels bound to, or from, one 
State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in another. 

No money shall be drawn from the treasury but in consequence of appropria- 
tions made by law ; and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expen- 
ditures of all public money shall be published from time to time. 

No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States : And no person hold- 
ing any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, 
accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any 
king, prince, or foreign state. 

Section 10. No State shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation ; 
grant letters of marque and reprisal ; coin money ; emit bills of credit ; make any- 
thing but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts ; pass any bill of attain- 
der, ex-post-facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any 
title of nobility. 

No State shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any impost or duties on 
imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its in- 



1 " Person " meaning slave ; referring to the foreign slave-trade, abolished in 1808. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 



xi 



spection laws: and the net produce of all duties and impost, laid by any State on 
imports or exports, shall be for the use of the treasury of the United States; and all 
such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress. 

No State shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep 
troops, or ships-of-war, in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with 
another State, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, 
or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay. 

ARTICLE II. 

SECTION i. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United 
States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, 
together with the Vice-President, chosen for the same term, be elected, as follows : 

Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, 
a number of electors, equal to the whole number of senators and representatives to 
which the State may be entitled in the Congress : but no senator or representative, 
or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be ap- 
pointed an elector. 

[The electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by ballot for two 
persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same State with 
themselves. And they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the num- 
ber of votes for each; which list they shall sign and certify and transmit sealed to 
the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the president of the 
Senate. The president of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House 
of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The 
person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President, if such number 
be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if there be more 
than one who have such majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the 
House of Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one of them for Presi- 
dent; and if no person have a majority, then from the five highest on the list the 
said house shall, in like manner, choose the President. But in choosing the Presi- 
dent, the votes shall be taken by States, the representation from each State having 
one vote ; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from 
two-thirds of the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary to a choice. 
In every case, after the choice of the President, the person having the greatest num- 
ber of votes of the electors shall be the Vice-President. But if there should remain 
two or more who have equal votes, the Senate shall choose from them by ballot 
the Vice-President. 1 ] 

The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors, and the day on 
which they shall give their votes; which day shall be the same throughout the 
United States. 2 

1 This paragraph in brackets has been set aside by the XII. Amendment. 

8 The electors are chosen on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November, next 
before the expiration of a presidential term. They vote (by Act of Congress of Feb. 3, 1887) 
on the second Monday in January- following, for President and Vice-President. The votes 
are counted, and declared in Congress on the second Wednesday of the next February. 



Xll LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the 
time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; 
neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to 
the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years resident within the United 
States. 

In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, 
or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall 
devolve on the Vice-President, and the Congress may by law provide for the case 
of removal, death, resignation, or inability, both of the President and Vice-Presi- 
dent, declaring what officer shall then act as President; and such officer shall act 
accordingly until the disability be removed, or a President shall be elected. 

The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services a compensation 1 
which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he 
shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other emol- 
ument from the United States, or any of them. 

Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or 
affirmation : — "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the 
office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, 
protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." 

Section 2. The President shall be commander-in-chief of the army and navy of 
the United States, and of the militia of the several States, when called into the actual 
service of the United States; he mav require the opinion, in writing, of the principal 
officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties 
of their respective offices^; and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons 
for offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. 

He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make 
treaties, provided two-thirds of the senators present concur; and he shall nominate, 
and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate shall appoint ambassadors, 
other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other 
officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided 
for, and which shall be established by law : but the Congress may by law vest the 
appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, 
in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments. 

The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during 
the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of 
their next session. 

SECTION 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress informatio 2 of the 
state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such meas".es as he 
shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene 
both houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them with 
respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall 



1 The President now receives $50,000 a year; the Vice-President, $8000. Previous to 
1873 the President received but $25,000 a year. 

2 The Presidents, beginning with Jefferson, have done this by messages sent to Congress. 
Washington and Adams read speeches or messages to that body. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Xlll 



think proper; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers ; he shall 
take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers 
of the United States. 

SECTION 4. The President, Vice-President, and all civil officers of the United 
States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, trea- 
son, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. 

ARTICLE III. 

SECTION i. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Su- 
preme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time 
ordain and establish. The judges, both of the Supreme and inferior courts, shall 
hold their offices during good behavior, and shall, at stated times, receive for their 
services a compensation which shall not be diminished during their continuance in 
office. 

Section 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, aris- 
ing under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or 
which shall be made, under their authority ; — to all cases affecting ambassadors 
other public ministers, and consuls ; — to all cases of admiralty and maritime juris- 
diction ; — to controversies to which the United States shall be a party; — to con- 
troversies between two or fnore States; — between a State and citizens of another 
State ; 1 — between citizens of different States ; — between citizens of the same State 
claiming lands under grants of different States, and between a State, or the citizens 
thereof, and foreign states, citizens or subjects. 

In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those 
in which a State shall be party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. 
In all other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate juris- 
diction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions and under such regulations 
as the Congress shall make. 

The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury; and 
such trial shall be held in the State where the said crimes shall have been commit- 
ted ; but when not committed within any State, the trial shall be at such place or 
places as the Congress may by law have directed. 

SECTION 3. Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war 
against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. 

No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two wit- 
nesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. 

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no 
attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the 
life of the person attainted. 

ARTICLE IV. 

Section i. Full faith and. credit shall be given in each State to the public acts, 
records, and judicial proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by 



1 But compare Amendment XI. 



xiv 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



general laws, prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings 
shall be proved, and the effect thereof. 

Section 2. The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all privileges and im- 
munities of citizens in the several States. 

A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall 
flee from justice, and be found in another State, shall, on demand of the executive 
authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the 
State having jurisdiction of the crime. 

No person 1 held to service or labor in one State, under the laws thereof, escaping 
into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged 
from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom 
such service or labor may be due. 

Section 3. New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union ; but 
no new State shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other State ; 
nor any State be formed by the junction of two or more States, or parts of States, 
without the consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the 
Congress. 

The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and 
regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United 
States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any 
claims of the United States, or of any particular State. 

SECTION 4. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a 
republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion, 
and on application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature 
cannot be convened) against domestic violence. 

ARTICLE V. 

The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall 
propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the Legisla- 
tures of two-thirds of the several States, shall call a convention for proposing 
amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as 
part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three-fourths of the 
several States, or by conventions in three : fourths thereof, as the one or the other 
mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress ; provided that no amend- 
ment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight 
shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the 
first article ; and that no State, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal 
suffrage in the Senate. 

ARTICLE VI. 

All debts contracted, and engagements entered into, before the adoption of this 
Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as 
under the confederation. 



1 " Person " here means slave. This was the original Fugitive Slave Law. It now has no 
force, since, by Amendment XIII. to the Constitution, slavery is prohibited. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. XV 

This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in 
pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the 
authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land ; and the 
judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws 
of any State to the contrary notwithstanding. 

The senators and representatives before mentioned, and the members of the 
several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United 
States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support 
this Constitution ; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to 
any office or public trust under the United States. 

ARTICLE VII. 

The ratification of the Conventions of nine States shall be sufficient for the estab- 
lishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the same. 

Done in conventions, by the unanimous consent of the States present, the 
seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand 
seven hundred and eighty-seven, and of the independence of the 
United States of America the twelfth. 

In witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON, 
President, and Deputy from Virginia* 



NEW HAMPSHIRE. 
John Langdon, 
Nicholas Gilman. 

MASSACHUSETTS. 
Nathaniel Gorham, 
Rufus King. 

CONNECTICUT. 
William Samuel Johnson, 
Roger Sherman. 

NEW YORK. 
Alexander Hamilton. 

NEW JERSEY. 
William Livingston, 
David Brearley, 
William Paterson, 
Jonathan Dayton. 



PENNSYLVANIA. 
Benjamin Franklin, 
Thomas Mifflin, 
Robert Morris, 
George Clymer, 
Thomas Fitzsimons, 
Jared Ingersoll, 
James Wilson, 
Gouverneur Morris. 

DELAWARE. 
George Read, 
Gunning Bedford, Jr., 
John Dickinson, 
Richard Bassett, 
Jacob Broom. 

MARYLAND. 
James M'Henry, 
Daniel of St. Thomas 

Jenifer, 
Daniel Carroll. 



VIRGINIA. 

John Blair, 
James Madison, Jr. 

NORTH CAROLINA. 
William Blount, 
Richard Dobbs Spaight, 
Hugh Williamson. 



SOUTH CAROLINA. 

John Rutledge, 
Charles C. Pinckney, 
Charles Pinckney, 
Pierce Butler. 

GEORGIA. 

William Few, 
Abraham Baldwin. 



Attest: WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary. 



xvi 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



AMENDMENTS 

To the Constitution of the United States, ratified according 
to the Provisions of the Fifth Article of 
the Foregoing Constitution. 

Article i. 1 — Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of 
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ; or abridging the freedom of speech, 
or of the press ; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition 
the government for redress of grievances. 

ARTICLE II. — A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free 
State the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. 

Article III. — No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, 
without the consent of the owner; nor in time of war but in a manner to be pre- 
scribed by law. 

Article IV. — The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, 
papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, 
and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affir- 
mation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or 
things to be seized. 

Article V. — No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise 
infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in 
cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in 
time of war and public danger ; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence 
to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall be compelled in any criminal 
case to be a witness against himself, nor to be deprived of life, liberty, or property, 
without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, 
without just compensation. 

Article VI. — In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to 
a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the 
crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascer- 
tained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be 
confronted with the witnesses against him ; to have compulsory process for obtain- 
ing witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defence. 

Article VII. — In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall 
exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried 
by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States than ac- 
cording to the rules of common law. 

ARTICLE VIII. — Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines im- 
posed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. 

1 The first ten amendments were offered in 1789, and adopted before the close of 1791- 
They were largely the work of James Madison. They were adopted, says Judge Story, in order 
to " more efficiently guard certain rights already provided for in the Constitution, or to pro- 
hibit certain exercises of authority supposed to be dangerous to the public interests." 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 



xvii 



Article IX. — The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not 
be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. 

Article X. — The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitu- 
tion, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to 
the people. 

ARTICLE XI. 1 — The judicial power of the United States shall not be con- 
strued to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against any 
of the United States by citizens of another State, or by citizens or subjects of any 
foreign state. 

Article XII. 2 — The electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote 
by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an 
inhabitant with the same State with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the 
person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice- 
President ; and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, 
and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, 
which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the govern- 
ment of the United States, directed to the president of the Senate ; — the president 
of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, 
open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted; — the person having 
the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number 
be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have 
such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding 
three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall 
choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the 
votes shall be taken by States, the representation from each State having one vote; 
a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds 
of the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary to a choice. And if 
the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of 
choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then 
the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other con- 
stitutional disability of the President. The person having the greatest number of 
votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority 
of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have a majority, then 
from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-Presi- 
dent ; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of 
senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But 
no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that 
of Vice-President of the United States. 

ARTICLE XIII. 3 — Section i. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, ex- 
cept as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, 
shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. 

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legis- 
lation. 

1 Proposed in 1794; adopted 1798. A number of states have, at different times, taken 
advantage of this amendment to repudiate their debts. 2 Adopted 1804. 

3 This confirmed the Proclamation of Emancipation; it was adopted in 1865. 



XV111 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



ARTICLE XIV. 1 — Section i. All persons born or naturalized in the United 
States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and 
of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which 
shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States ; nor shall 
any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of 
law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. 

Section 2. Representatives shall be appointed among the several States accord- 
ing to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each 
State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for 
the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, repre- 
sentatives in Congress, the executive or judicial officers of a State, or the members 
of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, 
being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way 
abridged, except for participation in rebellion or other crime, the basis of represen- 
tation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male 
citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in 
such State. 

Section 3. No person shall be a senator or representative in Congress, or elector 
of President or Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United 
States, or under any State, who having previously taken an oath as a member of 
Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State Legis- 
lature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution 
of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the 
same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote 
of two-thirds of each house, remove such disability. 

Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by 
law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for sen-ices in 
suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the 
United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in 
aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss 
or emancipation of any slave ; but all such debts, obligations, and claims shall be 
held illegal and void. 

Section 5. Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the 
provisions of this article. 

Article XV. 2 — Section 1. The rights of citizens of the United States to vote 
shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any State, on account 
of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. 

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legis- 
lation. 



1 Adopted 1868. The object of sections 1 and 2 was to make the freedmen (negroes), 
emancipated during the Civil War, citizens of the United States. 

2 Adopted 1870. Its object was to give the freedmen (negroes) the right to vote. 



APPENDIX. 



xix 




LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



i-6 

If 


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Providence. 

Fort Dummer 
(near Brattle- 
borough) • 

Harrodsburg, 

Watauga. 
Marietta. 


About 38 miles 
below New 
Orleans. 

Natchez. 

Cahokia. 

Near Mobile 


Ii 
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o 

1 
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Either from a fancied resem- 
blance of the Island of Rhode 
Island to the Isle of Rhodes in 
the Mediterranean, or from the 
1 hitch Rood or Red Island. 

From the French — Green Moun- 
tains! 

From the Indian — At the 1 lead 
of a River; or meaning, according 
to other authorities, The Dark and 
Bloody Ground. 

From the Indian — River of the 
Big Bend. 

I'rom the Indian- — Beautiful or 
Beautiful River. 


From the French — In honor of 
Louis XIV. of France. 

From the word Indian. 

From the Indian — Great and 
Long River, or Father of Waters. 

From the union of an Indian 
and a French word — Tribe of 
Men. 

From the Indian — A Place "1 
Rest. 


orities (see King's " History of ( )hi 
ve the date of 1803 instead of 1802, tl 


i 

s 

5 

! 


Jthode Island. 

Vermont. 
Kentucky. 

Tennessee. 
Ohio. 


Mil 


I! 
ft 


i 




=2 5 S 





APPENDIX. 



xxi 



POPULA- 
TION IN 
1890. 


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0000 r-~ CO N WON 00 ro CM vO 

Oh m 00 -3- 10 00 00 m 00^ t-~- 
h o> 00* cn m* in h" \o~ 00" m cn 
«3 N fi on ro m 00 On 
-O vq_ 1-^ 0_ ro n o> \o csl ro cn 


POPULA- 
TION IN 
1790. 



in 


SQUARE 
MILES. 


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3- .-> in m 00 00 <N -t- vo vo ro 
q_ CO On ^o c^o ro ^ „ 
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cn\0 in in in in in in 000 


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to OO in in co On On On h 

Cn] ih ON 00 nO 00 rO >£5 NO H M 

vo no no m 00 vo 0000 


FIRST SETTLE- 
MENT. 


Pemaquid. 

Fort Orleans 
(near Jeffer- 
son City). 

Little Rock. 

Mackinaw. 
St. Augustine. 

Lavaca, on the 

coast. 
Dubuque. 

Green Bay. 
San Diego. 

Fort Snelling. 
Astoria. 


BY WHOM 
SETTLED. 


English. 
French. 

French. 

French. 
Spanish. 

French. 
Americans. 

French. 
Spanish. 

Americans. 
Americans. 

i 


DATE 
OF AD- 
MIS- 
SION. 


« VO 1** TO 10 \o 00 CO Os 
NN ro ro -r -t- xj-io into 
coco cooooococo coco coco 


DERIVATION OF NAME. 


The Main Land. 
From the Indian — Muddy, or 
Muddy River. 

From the Indian Kansas (Smoky 
Water) and the French Arc, a 
bow. 

From the Indian — A weir or 
dam of twigs for catching fish. 

From the Spanish Pascua Flor- 
ida — Flowery Easter, hence Flow- 
ery, or Land of Flowers. 

Perhaps from an Indian word 
meaning Friends. 

The French form of an Indian 
word applied by the Sioux to the 
"Gray-snow Tribe," and meaning 
the " Drowsy " or the " Sleepy 
Ones." 

From the Indian — Wild or Rush- 
ing River (applied to the rapids of 
the Wisconsin). 

From the Spanish — The name 
first occurs in a Spanish work of 
fiction (1510); it was there given 
to an imaginary island abounding 
in gold. 

From the Indian — Cloudy or 
Whitish Water. 

Either from the Indian — River 
of the West, or from the Spanish 
— Wild Marjoram, which grows 
there in great abundance. 


NAME OF STATE. 


Maine. 
Missouri. 

Arkansas. 

Michigan. 
Florida. 

Texas. 
Iowa. 

Wisconsin. 
California. 

Minnesota. 
Oregon. 


NO. 


ro^invot^cooN h n ro 
N M N N CN NO ro CO roro 



xxii 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



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APPENDIX. 



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Xxiv LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



PRINCIPAL DATES IN AMERICAN HISTORY 
[The * marks the most important dates.] 



I. The Period of Discovery, iooo- 

1507. 

The coming of the Northmen, 1000. 
♦Columbus discovers the West Indies (San 

Salvador), 1492. 
Letter of Columbus describing his voyage, 

1493- 

*The Cabots discover the Continent of North 
America, 1497. 
Voyages of Amerigo Vespucci to South 

America, 1499-1503. 
Amerigo Vespucci publishes an account of 
his voyages, 1504. 
♦Waldseemiiller publishes a geography in 
which he suggests that the New World 
be called AMERICA, 1507. 

II. Attempts at Exploring and 
Colonizing North America, 
1509-1587. 

Diego Columbus (son of Christopher Co- 
lumbus), governor of San Domingo, con- 
quers Cuba, 1509. 
*Ponce de Leon discovers and names Florida, 
1513- 

*Balboa discovers the Pacific, 1513. 

Cortez conquers Mexico, 1519. 
♦Magellan's voyage round the globe, 15 19- 
1521. 

Verrazzano explores the coast of North 

America (?), 1524 (?). 
Cabeza de Vaca discovers one of the mouths 

of the Mississippi, 1528. 
Cartier discovers the St. Lawrence and 
names Montreal, 1535. 
♦De Soto's expedition (he discovers the main 
stream of the Mississippi), 1539-1542. 
Huguenot settlement at Port Royal (not 

permanent), 1563. 
Huguenot settlement on the St. John's River, 
Florida (broken up by the Spaniards), 1564. 
♦The Spaniards settle St. Augustine, Florida 
(the oldest town in the United States), 1565. 



Sir Martin Frobisher's voyages (in search of 
a Northwest' Passage), 1576. 

♦Sir Francis Drake sails round the world 
(visits the western coast of North America 
and names it New Albion), 1 577-1579. 
Sir Humphrey Gilbert's voyages (takes pos- 
session of Newfoundland), 1578, 1583. 

♦The Spaniards settle Santa.Fe, New Mexico 
(the second oldest town in the United 
States), 1582. 

♦Sir Walter Raleigh sends out his first expe- 
dition to North America (the country 
named Virginia in honor of Queen Eliza- 
beth), 1584. 
Sir Walter Raleigh sends out colonies to 
settle (Roanoke Island) "Virginia" (not 
permanent), 1585, 1587. 

III. Opening of the Seventeenth 
Century; Permanent English 
and French Settlements; The 
Thirteen Colonies. (1602-1763.) 

Gosnold's expedition to Northern Virginia 
(New England), 1602. 
♦Jamestown, Virginia, settled (the first per- 
manent English settlement made in Amer- 
ica), 1607. 

Sir George Popham attempts to make a 

settlement in Maine, 1607. 
♦The French settle Quebec (first permanent 

French settlement in America), 1608. 
♦Henry Hudson explores the Hudson River, 

1609. 

♦John Rolf begins the cultivation of tobacco 
at Jamestown, Virginia, 1612. 

♦The Dutch take possession of New Nether- 
land (New York), 1614. 

♦The House of Burgesses (the first law- 
making assembly in America) meets at 
Jamestown, 16 19. 

♦Negro slavery is introduced into Virginia, 
16 iQ. 

♦Landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, 1620 



PRINCIPAL DATES IN 



AMERICAN HISTORY. XXV 



The Dutch build Fort Orange (Albany) , 1622. 
First permanent English settlement made 
(at Pemaquid Point) in Maine, 1625. 
*The Dutch purchase Manhattan Island (New 
York City) of the Indians, 1626. 
Settlement of Dover, New Hampshire, 1627. 
Settlement of Salem, Massachusetts, 1628. 
^Settlement of Boston, 1630. 

Settlement of Portland, Maine, 1632. 
*Settlement of St. Mary's, Maryland, 1634. 
*The first English Catholic Church estab- 
lished in America, 1634. 
^Religious toleration granted in Maryland to 

all Christians, 1634. 
■*Settlements begun in Connecticut (Wethers- 
field and Windsor), 1635. 
*A public school is established in Boston, 
1635. 

^Settlement of Providence, Rhode Island, by 

Roger Williams, 1636. 
* Religious toleration granted in Rhode Island 

to all persons (whether Christians or not) , 

1636. 

*Harvard College founded, 1636. 

The Pequot War, 1637. 

New Haven, Connecticut, settled, 1638. 

Delaware settled by the Swedes, 1638. 
*The Connecticut Constitution (the first writ- 
ten constitution framed by the people in 
America), 1639. 

First printing-press in New England, 1639. 

First New England Confederacy, 1643. 

Clayborne's Rebellion in Maryland, 1645. 

Coming of the Quakers to New England, 
1656. 

The English settle in North Carolina, 1663. 
The Regicides come to New England, 1663. 
The English seize New Netherland (New 

Amsterdam becomes New York City) , 1664. 
The English settle Elizabeth, New Jersey, 

1664. 

The Connecticut and the New Haven colo- 
nies united, 1664. 
^French exploration of the West begins, 1669. 
*Settlement of Old Charleston (South Caro- 
lina), 1670. 
*King Philip's War, 1675. 
*Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia, 1676. 
*William Penn settles Philadelphia, Pennsyl- 
vania, i683. 
*La Salle explores the Mississippi, 1682. 
First war with the French and the Indians 

(" King William's War ") ,1689. 
The Salem Witchcraft, 1692. 
William and Mary College (Virginia) 
founded, 1692. 



Cultivation of rice begun in South Carolina, 
1693. 

Yale College founded, 1701. 
The French establish a colony at Mobile, 
1701. 

Second war with the French and the Indians 
(" Queen Anne's War"), 1702. 
*The Boston News Letter, the first news- 
paper published in America, 1704. 

New Orleans founded by the French, 1718. 

Benjamin Franklin begins his " Poor Rich- 
ard's Almanac," 1732. 

Oglethorpe settles Savannah, Georgia, 1733. 

Cultivation of indigo begun in South Caro- 
lina, 1 741. 

Third war with the French (" King George's 

War"), 1744. 
Louisburg taken, 1745. 
*Benjamin Franklin discovers that lightning 
and electricity are identical, 1752. 
Washington sent as a commissioner to the 

French, 1753. 
The fourth French and Indian War, 1754. 
*The Albany Convention, 1754. 
The Rev. Jonathan Edwards publishes his 
work on the " Freedom of the Will," 1754. 
Braddock's defeat, 1755. 
*Fort Duquesne taken by the English and 

named Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh), 1758. 
*Wolfe takes Quebec, 1759. 
^Treaty of peace, 1763. 
Pontiac's War, 1763. 

IV. The Revolution; The Consti- 
tution. ( 1 765-1 788.) 

^Parliament passes the Stamp Act, 1765. 
Repeal of the Stamp Act, 1766. 
The Declaratory Act, 1766. 
Duties laid on glass, paints, paper, and tea, 
1767. 

British troops sent to Boston, 1768. 
The Boston Massacre (March 3), 1770. 
Destruction of the Gaspee (June 10), 1772. 
All duties repealed except that on tea, 1773. 
*The "Boston Tea-Party" (December 16), 
1773- 

General Gage appointed military governor, 
1774- 

^Parliament closes the port of Boston (June 1) , 
1774. 

*The first Continental Congress meets at Phil- 
adelphia (September 5), 1774. 
The battle of Lexington (April 19), 1775. 
The battle of Concord (April 19), 1775. 
The siege of Boston begins (April 20), 1775. 



XXvi LEADING FACTS OF 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Ethan Allen takes Ticonderoga (May 10), 
1775- 

Crown Point taken (May n), 1775. 
♦Washington appointed commander-in-chief 

(June 15), 1775. 
♦Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17) , 1775. 
Washington takes command of the Conti- 
nental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts 
(July 3), 1775. 
General Montgomery takes Montreal (No- 
vember 13), 1775. 
Montgomery and Arnold attack Quebec 
(Montgomery killed) (December 31), 1775. 
Paine's " Common Sense "(January 5), 1776. 
♦The British evacuate Boston (March 17), 
1776. 

The British fail in their attack on Fort Moul- 
trie, South Carolina (June 28), 1776. 
♦Declaration of Independence (July 4), 1776. 
♦Battle of Long Island (August 27), 1776. 
Battle of White Plains, New York (October 
28), 1776. 

Fort Washington taken (November 16), 1776. 
♦Washington retreats across New Jersey and 
crosses the Delaware (November 19 to 
December 8), 1776. 
♦Washington gains the victory of Trenton, 

New Jersey (December 26), 1776. 
♦Washington victorious at Princeton, New 
Jersey (January 3), 1777. 
He goes into winter quarters at Morristown, 

New Jersey, 1777. 
Arrival of Lafayette in summer of 1777. 
♦American victory at Bennington, Vermont 
(August 16), 1777. 
British victory at Brandywine Creek, Penn- 
sylvania (September n), 1777. 
Battle of Bemis Heights, New York (Sep- 
tember 19), 1777. 
♦Howe enters Philadelphia (September 26), 
1777. 

British victory at Germantown, Pennsyl- 
vania (October 4), 1777. 
♦American victory at Stillwater, New York 

(October 7), 1777. 
♦American victory at Saratoga, New York; 
Burgoyne surrenders (October 17)., 1777. 
Washington goes into winter quarters at 
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (December 
11), 1777. 

♦France acknowledges the independence of 
the United States (February 6), 1778. 

♦The British evacuate Philadelphia (June 18), 
1778. 

Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey (June 28), 

1778. 



Indian massacre at Wyoming, Pennsylvania 

(July 3), 1778. 

Indian massacre at Cherry Valley, New York 
(November 11), 1778. 

The British take Savannah, Georgia (De- 
cember 29), 1778. 

"Mad Anthony" Wayne takes Stony Point 
(July 15), 1770. 
♦Victory of Paul Jones off coast of England 
(September 23), 1779. 

British conquest of Georgia, 1779. 

British capture of Charleston, South Caro- 
lina (May 12), 1780. 

British victory at Camden, South Carolina 
(August 16), 1780. 
♦Arnold's treason (September), 1780. 

American victory at King's Mountain, South 
Carolina (October 7), 1780. 
♦General Greene takes command of the Amer- 
ican army at the South, 1780. 
♦American victory at Cowpens, South Caro- 
lina (Ja- uary 17), 1781. 
♦Greene's retreat northward, 1781. 

British gain battle of Guilford Court-House, 
North Carolina (March 15), 1781. 

British uccess at Hobkirk's Hill, South 
Carolina (April 25), 1781. 

British retreat from Eutaw Springs, South 
Carolina (September 8), 1781. 

Benedict Arnold and Cornwallis invade Vir- 
ginia, 1781. 

♦American victory of Yorktown (October 19), 
1781. 

The war suspended, 1782. 
♦Treaty of peace with Gieat Britain (Septem- 
bers), 1783. 
Shays' Rebellion in Massachusetts, 1786. 
♦The Federal Convention frames the Consti- 
tution, 1787. 
The ordinance concerning the Northwest 
Territory, 1787. 
♦The states accept the Constitution, 1788. 

V. The Union; National Devel- 
opment. (1789- 1 860.) 

WASHINGTON inaugurated President 
of the United States (two terms), 1 789-1 797. 
Organization of the departments of the gov- 
ernment ; formation of die Cabinet, 1789. 
Revenue Tariff imposed, 1789. 
First Census, 1790. 
Cincinnati (settled 1788) named 1790. 
United States Bank established, 1791. 
United States Mint established, 1792. 
Gray enters and names the Columbia, 1792. 



PRINCIPAL DATES IN 



AMERICAN HISTORY. XXvii 



Organization of political parties begun, — Fed- 
eralists and Anti-Federalists or Demo- 
cratic-Republicans, a name later shortened 
to Democrats, — 1792. 
•Whitney invents the cotton-gin, 1793. 

The Whiskey Rebellion, 1794. 

Jay's treaty with Great Britain, 1795. 

ADAMS'S ADMINISTRATION (one 
term, 1797-1801). 

The X. Y. Z. Papers, — War with France, 
1798. 

The Alien and the Sedition Laws, 1798. 
Peace made with France, 1799. 
Death of Washington, 1799. 
♦The city of Washington made the national 
capital, 1800. 
JEFFERSON'S ADMINISTRA- 
TION (two terms, 1801-1809). 
War with Tripoli, 1801. 
♦Purchase of Louisiana, 1803. 
*Lewis and Clarke's expedition, 1804. 
Peace with Tripoli, 1805. 
The Leopard and the Chesapeake, 1807. 
*The Embargo, 1807. 

Burr's expedition and trial, 1807. 
♦Fulton's steamboat (August 11), 1807. 
The importation of slaves forbidden, 1808. 
The Non-Intercourse Act, 1809. 
MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION 

(two terms, 1809-1817). 
End of the Non-Intercourse Policy, 1810. 
First steamboat on the Ohio and the Mis- 
sissippi, 1811. 
Great earthquake in che Southwest, 1S11. 
Battle of Tippecanoe, 1811. [1S12. 
*War declared against Great Britain (June 18), 

Hull surrenders Detroit (August 16), 1S12. 
*The Constitution takes the Guerricre 
(August 19), — many American victories 
on the sea follow, 1S12. [1813. 
*Pcrry's victory on Lake Erie (September 10), 
Jackson's victor}' at Tohopeka, Alabama 

(March 27), 1814. 
Battle of Chippewa (July 5), 1S14. 
Battle of Lundy's Lane (July 25), 1S14. [1814. 
The British take Washington (August 24), 
*Macdonough's victory on Lake Champlain 
(September n), 1814. 
Hartford Convention (December 15), 1814. 
Treaty of peace signed at Ghent (December 
24), 1814. 

♦Jackson's victory at New Orleans (January 
8), 1815. 

MONROE'S ADMINISTRATION 

(two terms, 1817-1825). 
First Seminole War, 17 18. 



The first steamship — the Savannah — 
(American) crosses the Atlantic, 1819. 
♦Purchase of Florida, 1819. 
♦The Missouri Compromise, 1820. 
♦Extension of National Ro~d, 1822. 
♦The Monroe -Doctrine, 1823. 
High Protective Tariff established, 1824. 
Lafayette visits the United States, 1824. 
ADAMS'S (J. Q. ) ADMINISTRA- 
TION (one term, 1825-1829). 
The Erie Canal opened, 1825. 
*The temperance reform begun, 1826. 
*Ground broken at Baltimore for the first rail- 
road, 1828. 

So-called "Tariff of Abominations," 1828. 
♦Publication of Webster's " Dictionary," — 
Irving, Cooper, Bryant, — 1828. 
JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION 
(two terms, 1829-1837). 
♦General removal of government officers, 1829. 
*The first steam railroad opened (at Balti- 
more), 1830. 
♦Garrison begins the publication of the Liber- 
ator (January 1), 1831, 
President vetoes the U. S. Bank Bill, 1832. 
Tariff of 1832. 
*Nullification in South Carolina, 1832. 
"Compromise Tariff," 1833. 
Chicago founded, 1833. 

The New York Daily Sun, the first one- 
cent newspaper, appears, 1833. 
*McCormick's reaper, 1834. 

Rise of the Whig party, 1834. 

Second Seminole War, 1835. 

Coal comes into extensive use, 1835. 

Great fire in New York City, 1835. 
♦Rise of American Literature, — Whiitier, 
Longfellow, Holmes, Lowell, Emerson, 
Bancroft, Prescott, Hawthorne, Poe, 
— 1835. 

VAN BUREN'S ADMINISTRA- 
TION (one term, 1837-1841). 
♦Business panic, 1837. 
Repudiation of state debts, 1838. 
Congress refuses to receive petitions for the 
abolition of slavery in the District of Co- 
lumbia, 1838. [1839. 
♦Beginning of the American Express System, 
The Mormons settle Nauvoo, 1839. 
♦The first line of steamships between Europe 

and America (Cunard) established, 1840. 
♦The government establishes an independent 
treasury with sub-treasuries, 1840. 
HARRISON AND TYLER'S AD- 
MINISTRATIONS (one term, 1841- 
1845). 



XXV111 LEADING FACTS OF 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Death of President Harrison (April 4), 1841. 
*Ashburton Treaty, 1842. 
Tariff of 1842. 

"Dorr Rebellion," Rhode Island, 1842. 

Anti-rent troubles in New York State, 1842. 

Dr. Whitman leaves Oregon for Washington 
(October 3) (returns, 1843), 1842. 
♦Morse completes the first line of electric tele- 
graph and sends the first message (May 
24), 1844. 

*The President signs the bill for the annexa- 
tion of Texas (March 1), 1845. 

*Morton's discovery of the anaesthetic uses of 
ether, 1845. 

POLK'S ADMINISTRATION (one 

term, 1 845-1849). 
Texas admitted to the Union (December 20), 

1845. 

Great increase in emigration to the United 

States begins, 1845. 
^Treaty settling the Oregon boundary, 1846. 
*Elias Howe invents the sewing-machine, 

1846. 

Protective duties taken off (1846) Revenue 
Tariff established ; this continued until 1S61. 
*War declared against Mexico (May 13), 
1846. 

(The battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma, May 8 and 9, 1846, were fought 
before the formal declaration of war.) 

Conquest of California, 1846. 

New Mexico conquered, 1846. 

Battle of Monterey September 24), 1846. 

Battle of Buena Vista (February 23), 1847. 

Battle of Contreras (August 20) , 1847. 

Battle of Chapultepec (September 13), 1847. 

The city of Mexico taken (September 14), 
1847. [1848. 

Treaty of Peace with Mexico (February 2), 
♦Discovery of gold in California, spring of 
1848. 

The Mormons emigrate to Utah, 1848. 

Great movement of emigrants and gold-dig- 
gers to California, beginning in the spring 
of 1849. 

TAYLOR AND FILLMORE'S AD- 
MINISTRATION (one term, 1849- 
i853). 

Death of President Taylor (July 9), 1850. 
Clay's " Omnibus Bill," 1850. 
*Passage of the Fugitive Slave Law (included 
in the " Omnibus Bill "), 1850. 
The Maine prohibition law passed, 1851. 
Rise of the American or "Know-Nothing" 
party, 1852. 
•"Uncle Tom's Cabin" published, 1852. 



PIERCE'S ADMINISTRATION 

(one term, 1853-1857). 
"'Purchase of Arizona and New Mexico, 1853. 
Opening of the World's Fair at New York, 
1853. 

Perry's treaty with Japan, 1854. 
*Passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, 1854. 
*The struggle for the possession of Kansas 
begins; first appearance of John Brown, 
1855. 

Assault on Senator Sumner, 1856. 
*Rise of the Republican party, 1856. 
BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION 

(one term, 1857-1861). 
The Dred Scott decision, 1857. 
Tariff of 1857. 
^Business panic, 1857. 

First Atlantic Cable (soon failed), 1858. 
♦Discovery of silver in Nevada and Colorado, 
and of petroleum in Pennsylvania, 1859. 

[ber 16), 1859. 

*John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry (Octo- 
*Election of Abraham Lincoln, i860. 
^Secession of South Carolina (December 20), 
i860. 

Steamer Star of the West fired on by the 
Secessionists (January 9), 1861. 
*Formation of the Southern Confederacy (Feb- 
ruary 4), 1861. 

Jefferson Davis elected President of the Con- 
federacy (February 18), 1861. 

Morrill Tariff, 1S61. 

VI. The Civil War. (1861-1865.) 

LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION 

(one term and part of second, 1861 to April 
14, 1865). 

*Bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter 

(April 13), 1861. 
"'President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers 
(April 15), 1861. 
Seizure of arms at Harper's Ferry by Confed- 
erates (April 18), 1861. 
Bloodshed at Baltimore (April 19) , 1861. 
Seizure of Norfolk Navy Yard by Confeder- 
ates (April 20), 1861. 
'Secession of Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, 
and North Carolina, making the whole 
number of states in the Confederacy eleve:i 
(May- June), 1S61. 
General Butler declares fugitive slaves con- 
traband of war , 1 86 1. 
Union victory of Rich Mountaiu, West Vir- 
ginia (July 21), 1861. 
^Confederate victory of Bull Run (July 21), 
1861. 



PRINCIPAL DATES IX AMERICAN HISTORY. 



xxix 



Confederate victory of Wilson's Creek, Mis- ' 
souri (August 10), 1861. 

Union capture of Fort Hatteras, North Caro- | 
Una (August 29), 1861. 

Union capture of Port Royal, South Caro- 
lina (November 7) , 1861. 

Union capture of Mason and Slidell (Trent 
affair) (November 8), 1S61. 

Union victory of Mill Spring, Kentucky 
(January 19), 1S62. 

Union victory at Fort Henry, Tennessee 
(February 6), 1862. 

Union capture of Roanoke Island, North 
Carolina (February 8), 1862. 
*Grant takes Fort Donelson, Tennessee (Feb- 
ruary 16), 1862. 

Union victory at Pea Ridge, Arkansas ( March 
5-8), 1862. 

*The Mo?iitor fights the Merrimac (or 

Virginia) (March 9), 1862. 
*Grant's victory at Pittsburg Landing or Shi- 

loh, Tennessee (April 6-7), 1862. 
♦Union capture of Island No. Ten, Mississippi 

River (April 8), 1862. 
Union capture of Fort Pulaski, Georgia 

(April 11), 1862. 
*Farragut takes New Orleans (April 25), 1862. 
tBattle of Williamsburg, Virginia (May 5), 

1862. 

" Stonewall " Jackson drives Banks out of 

the Shenandoah Valley (May 26), 1S62. 
Union capture of Corinth, Mississippi (May 

30) , 1S62. 

Union victorv of Fair Oaks, Virginia (Mav 

31) , 1862. 

Lee takes active command of the armies 

around Richmond (June 3), 1S62. 
The " Seven Days' Battles " around Rich- 
mond (June 25 to Jul\- 1), 1862. 
Pope's campaign in Virginia (Confederates 

victorious) (August). 1862. 
Second battle of Bull Run (Confederate vic- 
tory) (August 30), 1862. 
" Stonewall " Jackson takes Harper's Ferry 
(September 15), 1S62. 
*Union victory at Antietam (Sept. 17), 1S62. 

Bragg invades Kentucky (September), 1862. 
tBattle of Perryville, Kentucky (Oct. S), 1S62. 
♦Confederate victory at Fredericksburg, Vir- 
ginia (December 13), 1862. 
Union victory of Murfreesboro', Tennessee 
(December 31 to January 2), 1862. 
♦Lincoln's Proclamation of Emancipation 
(January 1), 1S63. 



Union victory of Arkansas Post (January n), 
1863. 

*Act establishing National Banks (February 
23), 1863. 

Confederate victory of Chancellorsville, Vir- 
ginia (May 2-3), 1S63. 
♦Union victory of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 

(July 1-3), 1863. 
♦Grant takes Vicksburg (July 4), 1863. 
Union victory at Helena, Arkansas (July 4), 
1863. 

♦Union capture of Port Hudson on the Missis- 
sippi (July 9) , 1863. 
Draft riots in New York City (July 13-16), 
1863. 

Morgan's raid into Ohio (July), 1S63. 

Confederate victory of Chickamauga, Geor- 
gia (September 19-20), 1863. 

Confederates besiege Chattanooga, Tennessee 
(October-November) , 1863. 

Confederates besiege Knoxville, Tennessee 
(November 18-29), z %°3- 

Union victory at Lookout Mountain, Ten- 
nessee (November 24-25), 1863. 

Sherman destroys Meridian, Mississippi 
(February 3 to March 5), and the rail- 
roads centering there, 1864. 

Grant made lieutenant-general (March 3), 
1864. 

Confederate capture of Fort Pillow, Tennes- 
see (April 12), 1S64. 
f Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia (May 5-7), 
1864. 

"^Battle at Spottsylvania Court-House, Vir- 
ginia (May 8-18) , 1S64. 
Union victory at Resaca, Georgia (May 14- 
15), 1864. 

Union victory at Dallas, Georgia (May 25- 
28), 1864. 

Confederate victory at Cold Harbor, Vir- 
ginia (June 3), 1864. 

Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, begun (June) , 
1864. 

The Kea rsa rge sinks the Alabama (June 
19) , 1864. 

Confederate victory at Kenesaw Mountain, 

Georgia (June 27), 1864. 
L'nion victories at Atlanta, Georgia (July 

20-28), 1864. 
Early's raid on Washington (July), 1864. 
Early burns Chambersburg, Pennsylvania 

(July 30) , 1864. 
Confederate success at the Petersburg mine, 

Virginia (July 30) , 1864. 



t Battles so marked were indecisive. 



XXX LEADING FACTS OF 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



*Farragut enters Mobile Bay (August 5), 
1864. 

♦Sherman takes Atlanta, Georgia (Septem- 
ber 2), 1864. 
♦Union victory at Winchester, Virginia 

(September 19), 1864. 
♦Union victory at Cedar Creek, Virginia 

(" Sheridan's Ride") (October 19), 1864. 
♦Sherman's march from Atlanta to Savannah 
(November 12 to December 21), 1864. 
Union victory at Franklin, Tennessee (No- 
vember 30), 1864. 
Sherman takes Fort McAllister, Georgia 
(December 13), 1864. 
Thomas gains decisive Union victory at 
Nashville, Tennessee (December 15-16), 
1864. 

♦Sherman takes Savannah, Georgia (Decem- 
ber 21) , 1864. 

Union capture of Fort Fisher, North Caro- 
lina (January 15), 1865. 

Sherman marches northward (February to 
March), 1865. 

Union capture of Columbia, South Carolina 
(February 17), 1865. 

Union capture of Charleston, South Caro- 
lina (February 18), 1865. 

Union capture of Wilmington, North Caro- 
lina (February 21), 1865. 

Union victory at Averysboro', North Caro- 
lina (March 15), 1865. 

Union victory at Bentonviile, North Caro- 
lina (March 19), 1865. 

Sheridan's raid on Lynchburg, Virginia 
(March), 1865. 

Union victory at Five Forks, Virginia 
(April 1), 1865. 

Union capture of Petersburg, Virginia 
(April 2), 1865. 
*Grant takes Richmond, Virginia (April 3), 
1865. 

*Lee surrenders to Grant (April 9), 1865. 
General Anderson raises the Union flag over 
Fort Sumter, South Carolina (April 14), 
1865. 

♦Assassination of Lincoln (April 14), 1865. 

VII. Reconstruction; The New 
Nation. (1865 to the Present 
Time.) 

JOHNSON'S ADMINISTRATION 

(April 15, 1865, to 1869). 
Review of Grant's and of Sherman's armies 

at Washington (May 23-24), 1865. 
Gradual disbanding of the Union armies, 1865. 



The President's proclamation of pardon 

(limited) (May 29), 1865. 
Reorganization of Southern States, 1865. 
♦The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitu- 
tion accepted by the states, 1865. 
♦Payment of the National Debt begun, 1865. 
Tennessee re-admitted to the Union, 1866. 
*The second Atlantic Cable laid, 1866. 
Reconstruction acts passed over the Presi- 
dent's veto, 1867. 
Tenure of Office Act, 1867 (repealed, 1887). 
♦Purchase of Alaska, 1867. 

Impeachment of the President, 1868. 
*Six states re-admitted to the Union, 1868. 
The Burlingame Treaty with China, 1868. 
♦The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitu- 
tion accepted by the states, 1868. 
*The President's proclamation of full and un- 
conditional pardon (Christmas), 1868. 
GRANT'S ADMINISTRATION (two 

terms, 1869-1877). 
*The Pacific Railroad completed (Mayio),i869. 
♦Organization of the "Knights of Labor,"i869. 
♦Completion of the reconstruction of Southern 
States (all re-admitted to the Union), 1870. 
♦Weather Buieau established, 1870. [1870. 
♦Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, 
Tweed Ring in New York, 1871. 
Ku-Klux Klans, 1871. 
*Great fire at Chicago and Western forest 

fires, 1871. 
♦Treaty of Washington, 1871. 
♦Great fire at Boston, 1872. 
Settlement of the Alabama claims, 1872. 
Modoc War, 1872. 
*Business panic, 1873. 
Whiskey Ring, 1875. 
♦Centennial celebration and exhibition (electric 
light and Bell telephone exhibited), 1876. 
Sioux War — death of General Custer, 1876. 
♦Electoral Commission, 1877. 
HAYES'S ADMINISTRATION (one 

term, 1877-1881). 
The President withdraws all troops from the 
South, 1877. 
♦Great railroad strikes, 1877. 
♦The telephone begins to come into general 
use, 1877. 
Yellow fever at the South, 1878. 
Silver dollars restored (remonetization of sil- 
ver), 1878. 

♦Resumption of specie payment (January 1), 
i8 79 ._ 

♦Eads's improvement of the navigation of the_ 
Mississippi, 1879. 
Treaty with China, 1880. 



PRINCIPAL DATES IN AMERICAN HISTORY. XXXI 



GARFIELD'S AND ARTHUR'S I 
ADMINISTRATIONS (one term, 
1881-1885). 

♦Assassination of the President (July 2) 1881. j 
Death of the President (September 19), 1881. 
Overflow of the Mississippi, 1882. 
♦Passage of the Edmunds Bill punishing plural 
marriages and polygamy in the Territories, 
1882. 

Electric lights begin to come into general 
use, 1883. 

Completion of the East River Suspension 
Bridge, 1883. 
*Civil Service Reform Commission, 1883. 
♦Reduction in rates of letter-postage (to two 
cents), 1883, 1885. 

Cincinnati riot, 1884.- 

New Orleans Exhibition, 1884. 
CLEVELAND'S ADMINISTRA- 
TION (one term, 1885 to 1889). 

Progress in civil service reform, 1885. 

Extensive labor strikes, 1886. 

Anarchist riot at Chicago, 1886. 

The Charleston earthquake, 1886. 

The Statue of Liberty completed at New 
York, 1886. 

Presidential Succession Act, 1886. 

Interstate Commerce Act, 1887. 

Chinese Immigration Act, 1888. 

The Mills Tariff, 1888. 
Western "blizzards," 1888. 
HARRISON'S ADMINISTRATION 
(one term, 1889-1893). 

Opening of the Oklahoma lands to settlers 
(April 22), 1889. 

Centennial celebration of the inauguration of 
Washington (April 29 to May 1), 1889. 

The Johnstown disaster (May 31), 1889. 
♦Electricity begins to be extensively used for 
driving light machinery and propelling 
street cars, 1889. 

A number of new steel war-ships added to 
the Navy, 1889. 

Trouble with Germany relative to Samoa ; 
settled by conference, 1889. 
♦Introduction of the Australian or Secret Bal- 
lot (Massachusetts), 1889. 

Congress of the Three Americas (Pan-Amer- 
ican Congress) (October 2), 1889-1890. 

The "Squadron of Evolution" sails from 
Boston for Lisbon (December 7), 1889. 
*The United States Supreme Court (the Chief- 
Justice and two associate justices dissent- 
ing) affirms the Edmunds Law of 1882 



punishing plural marriages and polygamy 
in the Territories, dissolves the Mormon 
Church corporation, and declares its prop- 
erty forfeited to the United States, 1890. 
Formation of the Farmers Alliance at the 

South and in sections of the West, 1890. 
New Pension Act, 1890. 
♦The first State (Wyoming) having full woman 
suffrage, admitted, 1890. 
Act against Trusts and Combinations, 1890. 
♦The Sherman Silver Purchase Act (directing 
the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase 
4,500,000 ounces of Silver monthly), 1890; 
(repealed 1893). 
♦The Mormon Church renounces plural mar- 
riages and polygamy, 1890. 
Great Sioux reservation (9,000,000 acres) 

opened to white settlers, 1890. 
Indian lands (3,000,000 acres) opened in Min- 
nesota to white settlers, 1890. 
♦Passage of the McKinley (Protective) Tariff 
1890. 

Mississippi adopts a new Constitution (deny- 
ing the right of future secession from the 
Union), 1890. 
The eleventh or centennial Census taken, 
showing a total population of 62.522,250- 
1890. 

Italian murderers lynched at New Orleans, 
1891. 

International Copyright Act, 1891. 
Difficulty with Chili on account of assaults 
on American seamen, 1891. 
I Behring Sea (Seal Fishery) controversy be- 
tween England and the United States sub- 
mitted to arbitration, 1891. 
Hawaiian Protectorate, 1892. 
Chili apologizes to the United States, 1892. 
Louisiana refuses to re-charter the Louisiana 

Lottery, 1892. 
Chinese Exclusion Law, 1892. 
Great floods attheWest(more than $30,000,000 

of property destroyed), 1892. 
Great Strike at Homestead, Pa., 1892. 
Organization of the People's Party, 1892. 
Columbus celebration, 1892. 
♦Extension of Civil Service Reform by Presi- 
dent Harrison, 1893. 
CLEVELAND'S ADMINISTRA- 
TION (1893-1897). 
♦Opening of the Columbian Exposition at 

Chicago (May 1), 1893. 
* International Naval Review at New York. 
1893. 

^Financial Panic (July-Aug.), 1893. 



xxxii 



LEADING FACTS OF 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



*Behring Sea Commission's decision, 1893. 
Terrible Cyclones at the South (Aug. and 

Oct.), 1893. 
The Cherokee Strip opened, Sept., 1893. 
♦Repeal of the Sherman Silver Bullion Pur- 
chase Act of 1890 (Nov. 1), 1893. 
*By Amendment to the State Constitution 
Colorado grants full suffrage to women, 
1893. 

The Louisiana State Lottery ceases to exist, 

Dec. 31, 1893. 
*Repeal of the Federal Election or " Force 

Acts" (of 1870-71), 1894. 
Extended Coal Strike begins April, 1894. 
The Coxey " Industrial Army " marches into 

Washington, May, 1894. 
Lexow Committee begins its sessions in 

New York City, 1894. 
♦Pullman Car and Railway Strike, Federal 

troops sent to Chicago, July, 1894. 
Labor Day made a legal national holiday, 

1894. 

Financial Panic and Depression, 1894. 
Recognition of the Republic of Hawaii, 
Aug., 1894. 
♦Modified Wilson Tariff Act, Aug., 1894. 
Full Amnesty granted to the Mormons, 
1894. 

New York adopts a New State Constitu- 
tion, 1894. 

♦Important extension of Civil Service Re- 
form, Nov.-Dec, 1894. 
The Atlanta Exhibition, 1895. 
The admission of Utah, 1896. 
Settlement of the Venezuela Question, 1896. 



McKINLEY'S ADMINISTRATION 

(1897-1901). 
Passage of the Dingley Tariff, 1897. 
Great increase in American Exports, 1897- 

1898. 

Opening of the Congressional Library 

Building, 1897. 
Charter of " Greater New York" goes into 

operation (Jan. 1), 1898. 
South Dakota amends its Constitution, 

1898. 

The Revolution in Cuba, 1898. 
*The Destruction of the Maine (Feb. 15), 
1898. 

President McKinley's message on Cuba. 
1898. 

♦War with Spain declared (April 25), 1898. 
♦Battle of Manila (May 1), 1S98. 
The "Trans-Mississippi Exposition" opens 

(June 1), 1898. 
Hobson's Exploit (June 3), 1898. 
♦The War Revenue Act (June 13), 1898. 
Battle of Las Guasimas or Siboney (Roose- 
velt's Rough Riders) (June 24), 1898. 
Battles of El Caney and San Juan (July 1-2), 
1898. 

♦Destruction of Cervera's fleet (July 3), 
1898. 

♦Annexation of Hawaii (July 7), 1898. 

♦Peace Protocol signed (Aug. 12), 1898. 
The Spanish forces evacuate Cuba (Janu- 
ary 1), 1899. 

♦Treaty of Peace between United States 
and Spain ratified (Feb. 6), 1899. 



A SHORT LIST OF BOOKS OX AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Bibl iogra phy . 

Charming and Hart's Guide to the Stud}' of 
American History (1492-1865). 

Adams's Manual of Historical Literature. 

References in Winsor's Narrative and Criti- 
cal History of America. S vols. 

Foster's References to United States His- 
tory. 

Hinsdale's How to Study and Teach 

History. 
Mace's Method in History. 

Historical Geography and Maps. 

Hart's Epoch Maps of the United States 
(no text). 

Scribner's Statistical Atlas of .the United 
Slates. 

MacCoun's Historical Geography of the 
United States (revised edition). 

Gannett's Boundaries of the States ino 
maps). 

Sha'.er's United States, 2 vols. 



General Histories. 

*Winsor's Narrative and Critical History, 8 

vols, (to 18S7, but not including the period 

of the Civil War). 
♦Bancroft's United States. 6 vols, (revised 

edition) (to 17S9). 
*Hildreth's United States. 6 vols, (to 1821). 
*Bryant and Gay's United States, 5 vols, to : 

1S96 (revised edition). 
Johnston's United States preprinted from ! 

the Encvclopaedia Britannica) (1607 to | 

1889). 

*H;?g:nson s Larger History of the Lnited 
States (to 1837). 
Schouler's United States, 6 vols. (1783-1865). j 
*Hart's Epochs of American History, 3 vols . 

(1492-1SS9). [(1492-18S9). I 

*Scribner's American History Series, 5 vols. 
*Goldwin Smith's United States (1492-1871). 
McMaster's United States, 4 vols. (1784- 
1820). 



Works of Reference. 

Lalor's Cyclopaedia of U. S. History, 3 vols. 
Appleton's Annual Cyclopaedia. 

* Books so marked begin with the 



Harper's Book of Facts. 
Larned's History for Ready Reference. 5 
vols. 

Richardson's Messages and Papers of the 
Presidents, 10 vols. (17S9-1901). 

Hart's Source Book of American History. 

Macdonald's Select Documents of United 
States History. 

Ford's American Politics. 

Old South Leaflets. 

Hart and Channing's American History 
Leaflets. 

Hart's American History Told by Contem- 
poraries, 4 vols. 

Jameson's Dictionary of United States His- 
tory. 

Stanwood's The Presidency. 
Wright's Industrial Evolution of the United 
States. 

Moore's History of Congress. 
Wilson's Rise and Fall of the Slave Power. 
3 vols. 

Johnston's American Politics. 

Von Hoist's Constitutional History of the 
United States, 8 vols, (to 1859). 

Lossing's Cyclopaedia of U. S. History 
(revised edition). 

Poole's Index to Reviews. 

Bryce's American Commonwealth, 2 vols, 
(revised edition). 

Curtis's Constitutional History of the United 
States, 2 vols, (to 1865). 

Wilson's The State. 

Macy's Civil Government of the U. S. 

Putnam's Great Cities of the Republic (a 
series of vols.). 

Scudder's American Commonwealths (a se- 
ries of volumes giving the histories of the 
states, by eminent writers). 

Sparks's American Biography. 25 vols. 

Morse's American Statesmen (a series of 
volumes by able writers) . 

Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biogra- 
phy, 6 vols. 

Warner's American Men of Letters (a com- 
panion series of vols, to the American 
Statesmen series). 

Harper's The First Centurv of the Republic 
(1776-1S76). 

The North American Review for January, 
1876 (covering the general progress of the 
country from 1776 to 1876 in a series of arti- 
cles on Religion, Politics, Science, Polit- 
ical Economy, Law, and Education). 

•liest period of American History. 



XXxiv LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



The Statesman's Year Book (American edi- 
tion). 

The American Historical Review. 
The Magazine of American History. 
The Magazine of Western History. 



I. Period of Discovery (1492- 

1521). 

Help's Columbus. 

Irving's Columbus. 

Irving's Companions of Columbus. 

Winsor's Columbus. 
§ Majors Select Letters of Columbus (Hak- j 
luyt Soc. Pub.). 

Fiske's North America, 2 vols. 

Higginson's American Explorers. 

Vogel's Century of Discovery. 

Markham's The Sea Fathers. 
§Hakluyt's Divers Voyages touching the Dis- 
covery of America. 

Bourne's Voyages (The Cabots). 

Nicholl's Sebastian Cabot. 

II. Period of Exploration and 
Spanish Colonization of Amer- 
ica (1 509-1 587). 

Irving's Companions of Columbus, with 

Hakluyt, as above. 
Higginson and Vogel, as above. 
Parkman's Pioneers of France in the New 

World. 

T. Irving's Conquest of Florida. 
§De Soto's Discovery and Conquest of Florida 

(Hakluyt Soc. Pub.). 
Barrow's Sir Francis Drake. 
Jones's Sir Martin Frobisher. 
Edwards's Sir Walter Ralegh [Raleigh] . 
Towle's Sir Walter Ralegh [Raleigh]. 
Cooke's Virginia. 1 
On the Indians, see 

Ellis's The Red Man and the White Man. 

Parkman's Jesuits in N. America (Intro- 
duction). 

Schoolcraft's Indian Tribes, 6 vols. 
Morgan's League of the Iroquois. 
Drake's Indian History for Young Folks. 
Bancroft's Native Races of the Pacific 
Coast. 



III. Period of Permanent Eng- 
lish and French Settlements 
(1607-1763). 

Lodge's English Colonies. 
Grahame's United States, 4 vols. 
Doyle's The English in America, 3 vols. 
§Winthrop's New England, 2 vols. 
Palfrey's New England, 5 vols. 



Drake's Making of New England. 

Fiske's The Beginnings of New England. 

Lowell's Essays : New England Two Hun- 
dred Years Ago. 
§Jefferson's Notes on Virginia. 

Coffin's Old Times in the Colonies. 
§Captain John Smith's Works (Arber). 

Brown's Genesis of U.S. (Virginia, 1607-16). 

Cooke's Virginia. 1 

Brodhead's New York, 2 vols. 

O'Calligan's New York, 2 vols. 

Roberts's New York, 2 vols. 1 

Barry's Massachusetts, 3 vols. 
§ Hutchinson's Massachusetts, 4 vols. 
{Young's Chronicles of the Pilgrims. 
§Urook's Olden Time Series, 5 vols. 
^Earle's Colonial Days. 
§liradford's Plymouth (Deane's edition). 

Goodwin's Pilgrim Republic. 

Eggleston's Beginners of a Nation. 

Ellis's The Puritan Age in Massachusetts. 

Oliver's Puritan Commonwealth (compare 
Thornton's Reply). 

Winsor's Memorial History of Boston, 4 
vols. , 

Lowell Lectures (1869), The Early History 

of Massachusetts. 
Arnold's Rhode Island, 2 vols. 
Greene's Rhode Island. 
Johnston's Connecticut. 1 
Browne's Maryland. 1 
McVeagh's Pennsylvania. 1 
Williamson's North Carolina. 
Moore's North Carolina, 2 vols. 
Trescott's South Carolina. 1 
Sanborn's New Hampshire. 
Scott's New Jersey. 1 
Jones's Georgia, 2 vols. 
Vincent's Delaware, 2 vols. 
Goldwin Smith's Lectures on Am. Colonies. 
Weeden's Economic Hist, of N. E., 2 vols. 

(1620-1789). 
Seeley's Expansion of England (First Part). 
Roosevelt's Wiuning of the West, 4 vols. 

(1769-1807). 
Winsor's Explorations in the Mississippi 

Basin (1697-1763). 
jParkman's Frontenac. 
JParkman's Old Regime in Canada. 
JParkman's Jesuits in North America. 
JParkman's The Discovery of the Great 

West. 

JParkman's Wolfe and Montcalm, 2 vols. 
tParkman's Conspiracy of Pontiac. 
iParkman's Fifty Years of Conflict, 2 vols. 
Johnson's History of the French War. 
Drake's Making of the Great West. 
Hinsdale's The Old Northwest. 
Biography . See Sparks's American Biogra- 
phy for Lives of Nathaniel Bacon, Daniel 
Boone, Lord Baltimore (Calvert), Jona- 
than Edwards, John Eliot, Patrick Henry, 
Anne Hutchinson, John Ledyard, Cotton 
Mather, Governor Oglethorpe, Jas. Otis, 



§ Early or contemporaneous history. 

1 In Scudder's "American Commonwealth" Series. 

t These works all deal, more or less directly, with our relations with the French and the 
Indians in the Colonial Period. 



A LIST OF BOOKS ON AMERICAN HISTORY. XXXV 



SirW. Phips, William Penn, Count Rum- 
ford (Benj. Thompson), Captain John 
Smith, Roger Williams, Governor Win- 
throp; Bigelow's Benjamin Franklin, 3 
vols.; Montgomery's Franklin (Ginn & 
Co.). 



IV. The Revolution and the 
Constitution (1763-1789). 

Frothingham's Rise of the Republic. 

Greene's American Revolution. 

Ludlow's War of Independence. 

Lodge's American Revolution, 2 vols. 

Lecky's American Revolution, Edited by 
Prof. Woodburn. 

Hosmer's Governor Thomas Hutchinson. 

Sabine's Loyalists of the Revolution, 2 vols. 

Lossing's Pictorial Field-Book of the Revo- 
lution, 2 vols. 

Fiske's American Revolution, 2 vols. 

Coffin's The Boys of '76. 

Abbot's Blue- Jackets of '76. 

Abbott's Revolutionary Times. 

Scudder's America One Hundred Years 
Ago. 

McMaster's People of the United States 

(Vol. I., 1784-179°)- 
Winsor's Handbook of the Revolution. 
Landon's Constitutional Hist, of the U.S. 
Von Hoist's Constitutional History of the 

United States, Vol. I. 
§The Federalist. 

^Fiske's Critical Period in American History. 
Story's Constitution of the U. S., 3 vols. 
Curtis's History of the Constitution of the 

United States, Vol. I. 
Macy's Civil Government (revised edition, 

Ginn & Co.). 
Wilson's The State. 

Biography . Parker's Historic Americans, 
Bigelow's Franklin, 3 vols., Hosmer's 
Samuel Adams, 1 Morse's John Adams, 1 
Greene's General Greene, 2 vols., Lodge's 
Washington, 2 vols., 1 Fiske's Irving's 
Washington and his Country (Ginn & Co.), 
Sparks's American Biography, Lodge's 
Hamilton, 1 Gay's Madison, 1 Roosevelt's 
Gouverneur Morris. 1 



V. The Union National De- 
velopment (1789-1861). 

McMaster's People of the United States, 
Vols. II., III., IV. (1790-1820). 

Rhodes's United States, 3 vols. (1850-1861). 

Von Hoist's Constitutional History of the 
United States, 8 vols. 

Maclay's History of the United States Navy, 
2 vols. 

Schouler's United States, 6 vols. (1783-1865). 
Tucker's United States, 4 vols. (1607-1841). 



Adams's United States, 9 vols. (1801-1817). 
H. H. Bancroft's Pacific States, Vols. VIII. 

to XXXII., inclusive. 
Coffin's Building the Nation. 
Johnson's War of 1812. 
Abbot's Blue- Jackets of 1812. 
Lossing's Field-Book of the War of 1812. 
Cooper's Naval History. 
Ripley's War with Mexico, 2 vols. 
Jay's Mexican War. 

Bishop's History of American Manufac- 
tures, 2 vols. 

Shaler's United States, 2 vols. 

Tuckerman's American Art. 

Nichol's American Literature. 

Richardson's American Literature, 2 vols. 

Johnston's American Politics. 

Johnston's American Orations, 4 vols. 

Benton's Thirty Years' View, 2 vols. 

Webster's Great Speeches (Whipple's edi- 
tion). 

McCulloch's Half Century (1833-1883). 

§Dwight's Travels in New York and New 
England, 4 vols. (1796-1821). 

§Lewis and Clark's Expedition, 1804, 2 vols. 

§Breck's Recollections (Scudder). 

§Quincy's Figures of the Past. 
Scudder's American Commonwealths. 
Biography. See in Morse's American States- 
men Series (Houghton&Mifflin), the Lives 
of John Adams, J. Q. Adams, Benton, Cal- 
houn, Clay, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, 
Monroe, Randolph, Washington and Web- 
ster; in Sparks's American Biography, 
the Lives of Fulton and Rumford; Red- 
path's John Brown, Johnson's Garrison, 
Prime's Morse, Rice's Morton, Abbott's 
Kit Carson, Upham's Fremont, Parton's 
Famous Americans, Mrs. Stowe's Men of 
Our Times, Hunt's American Merchants; 
Roosevelt's and Lodge's Hero Tales from 
American History. 

VI. The Period of the Civil W ar 
(1861-1865). 

Draper's Civil War, 3 vols. 
Greeley's American Conflict, 2 vols. 
The Comte de Paris's Civil War, 4 vols. 
Scribner's Campaigns of the Civil War, 12 
vols. 

Abbot's Battle-Fields of '61. 
Abbot's Blue- Jackets of '61. 
Johnson's Short History of the War. 
Coffin's Four Years of Fighting. 
Coffin's Drum-Beat of the Nation. 
Coffin's Marching to Victory. 
Coffin's Redeeming the Republic. 
Coffin's Freedom Triumphant. 
Thayer's Youth's History of the Civil War. 
Dodge's Bird's- Eye View of the Civil War. 
Nichol's Story of the Great March. 
Conyngham's Sherman's March. 
Blaine's Twenty Years of Congress, 2 vols. 
(i860- 1 880). 



§ Early or contemporaneous history. 

1 In Morse's " American Statesmen " Series. 



XXXVi LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



The Century Company's War-Book, 4 vols. I 
McPherson's Political History of the Re- 
bellion. 

Swinton's Decisive Battles of the War. 

Dana's Recollections of the Civil War. 

Pollard's Lost Cause (Confederate). 

Stephens's War between the States, 2 vols. 
(Confederate). 

Davis's Rise and Fall of the Confederate 
Government (Confederate), 2 vols. 

Ropes's The Civil War, 2 vols. 

Cooke's Wearing of the Gray (Confederate). 

Johnston's Narrative of the War (Confed- 
erate). 

Biography. Nicolay and Hay's Abraham 
Lincoln, Holland's Lincoln, Herndon's 
Lincoln,. 3 vols., Thayer's Lincoln, Car- 
penter's Six Months in the White House, 
McClellan's Own Story, Roman's Beaure- 
gard, 2 vols., Badeau's U. S. Grant, 3 
vols., Grant's Personal Memoirs, 2 vols., 
Sherman's Memoirs, 2 vols., Sheridan's 
Memoirs, 2 vols., Farragut's Life of Far- 
ragut, Schuckers's Life of S. P. Chase, 
Cooke's Robert E. Lee, Cooke's " Stone- 
wall " Jackson, Johnston and Browne's 
Life of Alexander H. Stephens, Alfriend's 
Life of Jefferson Davis, Pollard's Life of 
Jefferson Davis. 

VII. Reconstruction. — The New 
Nation (1865 TO THE Present 
Time). 

McPherson's Political History of Recon- 
struction. 

McPherson's Political Handbooks (1S70- 
1894)- [1895). 
Andrews's Last Quarter of a Century (1875- 



Wilson's Lives of the Presidents (1789- 

1893). , 
Curry's The South. 
Johnston's American Politics. 
Bryce's American Commonwealth, 2 vols. 
Badeau's Grant in Peace. 
Thayer's Garfield. 

McCulloch's Men and Measures of Half a 

Century. 
King's The Great South, 1875. 
Harper's First Century of the Republic. 
The North American Review, Jan., 1876. 
Blaine's Twenty Years of Congress, 2 vols. 

(i860- 1 880). 
Bancroft's Pacific States, vols, on California, 

Utah, Oregon, Alaska, etc. 
Appleton's Annual Cyclopaedia, 1865-1899. 
Thayer's The New West. 
Ballou's The New Eldorado (.Alaska). 
McClure's The South. 

Bruce, The Plantation Negro as a Free- 
man. 

Herbert's Noted Men of the Solid South. 

Fiske's American Political Ideas (The Fu- 
ture of America). 

Shaler's United States, 2 vols. 

Whitney's United States (Physical Geogra- 
phy and Statistics). 

Morris's War with Spain. 

Harper's History of the War with Spain, 3 
vols. 



Note. — Many valuable articles relating 
to the history of the United States during 
this period will be found in The Century m 

T/te Atlantic, Harper's Magazine, Scrib- 
ner's Magazine, The Nation, T/ie North 
A merican Review, and The Forum. For a 
general index to reviews and magazines, see 
Poole's Index. 



TABLE OF BOUNDARIES. 



xxxvii 



TABLE OF BOUNDARIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 

( The student of A merican History should bear in mind that the political boundaries of 
the United States have bee7i determbied to a very large degree by the natural boundaries 
of: I. coast lines ; 2. rivers and lakes ; j. watersheds; 4. mountain ranges.) 

I. (1783) By the final Treaty of Peace of 1783 the boundary of the American 

Republic (see " Map of U.S. in 1783 ") was fixed, in general terms, as fol- 
lows : The line separating the United States from the British possessions 
began at the Bay of Fundy and ran to " the northwest angle of Nova Scotia," 
thence "to the Highlands," and thence "along the said Highlands which 
divide those rivers that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence, from 
those which fall into the Atlantic Ocean." Thence the line ran westerly 
along the 45th parallel, the middle of the St. Lawrence, and the middle of 
the Great Lakes to the Lake of the Woods. On the west, the line sepa- 
rating the United States from the Spanish province of Louisiana was 
drawn from the Lake of the Woods to the head-waters of the Mississippi 
and thence down the middle of that river to the 31st parallel — or the 
frontier of the Spanish province of West Florida. On the south, the line 
extended due east from the Mississippi along the 31st parallel to the Chat- 
tahoochee River in Georgia and thence to the sea as shown on the map. 
(See " U. S. Statutes at Large," VIII., 80; Macdonald's "Select Docu- 
ments of U. S. History"; Winsor's " America," VII. ; Gannett's "Bound- 
aries of the U. S." ; Hinsdale's " Bounding the Original U. S." in " Mag. 
of Western History," II., 401; Hart's "Epoch Maps of American His- 
tory.") 

Much of the region through which the northern boundary ran was an 
unexplored wilderness and the line was largely pure guesswork. This was 
the case west of Lake Superior, and notably so in the northeast, between 
what is now the State of Maine and the British possessions. The result 
was that for nearly sixty years this northeast line was a subject of angry 
dispute and the controversy was not finally settled until the negotiation of 
the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. (See Winsor's " America," VII. ; 
and Benton's "Thirty Years in the U. S. Senate," II., 421.) 

II. (1795) Spain refused to recognize the southern boundary of the United 

States as determined by the Treaty of Peace of 1783 (see above, No. I.). 
She claimed that her province of West Florida extended no miles north of 
the 31st parallel and that the true boundary line, separating her possessions 
in that quarter from the United States, extended due east from the Missis- 
• sippi from the mouth of the Yazoo to the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. 



XXXV111 LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



In 1795 Spain relinquished her claim to the disputed territory, and, 
furthermore, granted to the United States the free navigation of the lower 
Mississippi, besides conceding the temporary right of deposit (or storage 
for merchandise) at the port of New Orleans. (See " U. S. Statutes at 
Large," VIII., and Winsor and Hinsdale, as above.) 

III. (1803) In 1803 the United States purchased the province of Louisiana, 

which Spain had receded to France. That immense territory extended 
from the mouth of the Mississippi northward to its source, and had the 
Rocky Mountains as its natural boundary on the west. We bought the 
country without receiving any definite limits, and hence further negotia- 
tions became necessary with respect to boundary lines (see below). 

IV. (1818) In consequence of the above purchase of Louisiana a treaty made by 

us with Great Britain in 1818 extended the northern line of the United 
States from the Lake of the Woods (see above, No. I.) westward along the 
49th parallel to the Rocky Mountains. The same treaty provided that the 
country west of the Rocky Mountains, north of the 426. parallel (or the recog- 
nized Spanish frontier), and known as the Oregon country, should be held 
jointly by the United States and Great Britain. 

V. (1819-1825) In 1819 Spain sold Florida to us, and in the treaty defined the 

unsettled western boundary of Louisiana (see above, Nos. III. and IV.) by 
an irregular line which began at the Gulf of Mexico and approximately fol- 
lowed the watershed south and west of the tributaries of the Mississippi to 
the 426. parallel. At the same time Spain agreed to renounce all claims 
to the Oregon country. This was to us a most important concession. 
Six years later (1825) a treaty made with Russia fixed the northern 
limit of the Oregon country (before unsettled) at 54 40', or what is now the 
southern boundary of Alaska. 

VI. (1842) In 1842 the Webster-Ashburton Treaty (see Index under " Treaty") 

settled the long dispute over the northeastern boundary (see above, No. I.) 
and reaffirmed the line of 1818 to the Rocky Mountains (see above, No. 
IV.). 

VII. (1845) In 1845 we annexed Texas; the boundary question was settled by the 
Mexican War. 

VIII. (1846) In 1846 a treaty made by us with Great Britain divided the Oregon 
country between the two nations by extending the boundary line of the 49th 
parallel (see above, No. IV.) from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. 
(See in general the " Map of Acquisitions of Territory.") 
IX. (1848-1867) All subsequent United States boundary lines on the continent 
(see map cited above) were determined by Mexican cessions in 1848, the 
Gadsden Purchase in 1853, and the Alaska Purchase in 1867. 
X. (1898-1899) The islands recently acquired by the United States present no 
difficulties respecting boundaries. 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. XXxix 



POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES AT EACH CENSUS. 



Year. 


Population. 


Population 
Living in Cities. 


Inhabitants of 
Cities in each 100 of 
the Total Popu- 
lation. 


t 7nn 




T 1 T AT> 


1 1 z 


l8oo 


i)o uo ,4°j 




o-y/ 


l8lO 




350,9^0 


A C\1 

4-93 


l820 




4/ 5, 1 J5 


A C\1 

4-9 j 


18^0 


T R(~\fi ClOd 


t cnn 




. 1840 


I7>069,453 


i,453>994 


8.52 


1850 


23,191,876 


2,897,586 


12.49 


i860 


3L443>3 21 


5,072,256 


l6.I3 


1870 


38,558,371 


8,071,875 


20.93 


1880 


50,155783 


11,318,547 


22.57 


1890 


62,622,250 


18,284,385 


29.20 



All places having a population of 8000 and over are classed as cities. 



POPULATION OF THE FREE AND THE SLAVE STATES, 
1790-1860. 



Year. 


Free States. 


Slave States. 
(Including Negroes.) 


1790 


1,968,455 


1,961,372 


1800 


2,684,616 


2,621,316 


l8lO 


3>75 8 ,9 T o 


3,480,902 


1820 


5>i5 2 ,372 


4,485,819 


1830 


7,006,399 


5,848,312 


1840 


9,733,922 


7,334,433 


1850 


1 3, 599,488 


9,663,997 


i860 


19,128,418 


I2,3I5>372 



xl LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



REPRESENTATION IN CONGRESS FROM 1790 TO 1893. 



Year. 


Sen- 


ATE. 


House of Representatives. 


Ratio of 
Represen- 
tation. 1 


Free States. 


Slave States. 


Free States. 


Slave States. 


1790 


14 


12 


35 


30 


30,000 


1793 


16 


14 


57 


48 


33,000 


1796 


16 


16 


57 


49 


33'°°° 


1803 


18 


16 


76 


65 


33>°°° 


1813 


18 


18 


103 


78 


35>°°° 


1816 


20 


18 


103 


78 


35,000 


1821 


24 


24 


105 


81 


35,000 


1823 


24 


24 


123 


90 


40,000 


1833 


24 


24 


141 


99 


47,700 


1837 


26 


• 26 


142 


100 


47,700 


1843 


26 


26 


*31 


88 


70,680 


1848 


30 


30 


140 


9 1 


70,680 


18m 


3 2 


3° 


144 


90 




i860 


36 




147 


90 


93.423 


1863 


72 


243 


127,381 


1873 


76 


293 


13M25 


1883 


76 


325 


151,911 


1893 


8 


8 


356 


173,901 



1 The number of representatives is fixed by Congress every ten years (Constitution, Art. I. 
sect. 2). By the last act (1892) it was provided that there should be one representative for 
every 173,901 persons; this will hold good until 1903. To find the electoral vote, add to- 
gether the number of Senators and Representatives; e.g., the electoral vote in 1790 was 91. 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. xll 



THE SECTIONS IN 1870, 



Sections. 


Population 
in 1870.. 


Senate. 


House. 


Elect. Votes. 


The South : (.Ala., Ark., Ala., Ga., Ky., La., Md., 
Miss., N. C, S. C, Tenn., Tex., Va., W. V.) 

The Northwest: (111., Ia., Ind., Ks., Mich., 
Minn., Mo., Neb., O., Wis.) 

The Middle States : (Del., N. J., N. Y., Penn.) 

New England : (Conn., Mass., Me., N. H., R. I., 
Vt.) 

The Pacific: (Cal., Col., Nev., Or.) 


12,032,225 

12,702,299 
8,941,625 

3,187,924 
889,789 


28 

20 
8 

12 

8 


92 

98 
68 

28 
7 


120 

118 

76 

40 
15 


Total 


38,925,598 


76 


293 


369 


The total population includes Territories and Indians. 








THE SECTIONS 


IN 1880. 








Sections. 


Population 
in 1880. 


Senate. 


House. 


Elect. Votes. 




16,188,757 
17,229,810 
10,644,233 
4,010,438 
1,296,367 


28 
20 

8 
12 

8 


106 
114 

70 
26 
9 


i34 
134 
78 
38 
17 


Total 


50,155,783 


76 


325 


401 


(ISF 3 ' The total population includes Territories and Indians. The Apportionment Act of 
Feb. 25, 1882, took effect March 3, 1883. 


THE SECTIONS 


IN 1890. 








Sections. 


Population 
in 1890. 


Senate. 


House. 


Elect. Votes. 


The Pacific 


19,370,094 
22,362,279 
12,869,293 
4,700,745 
2,606,495 


28 
24 
8 
12 
16 


128 
73 
27 
17 


'39 
152 
81 
39 
33 


Total 


62,622,250 


88 


356 


444 



Jgg^ The new States of Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah are classed 
with the Pacific States. The Dakotas are classed with the Northwest. The total population 
includes the Territories. The Apportionment Act of Feb. 7, 1891, took effect March 3, 1893. 
The next apportionment will take effect in 1903. 



xlii 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 

( These questions cover the prbicipal topics of the history. It is believed that the 
headings of the paragraphs will be found to answer all the purpose of questions 
for ordinary recitations.) 

*i. When and where was Columbus born? What was the earth then supposed 
to be? What countries were then laid down on the maps? 

2. What was the Atlantic called? Why? Who were the Northmen? 

3. What discoveries did the Northmen make in 850? In 1000? Is it known 
where Vinland was? Did the discovery of America by the Northmen have any 
result ? Why not ? 

4. Did Columbus learn anything of America from the Icelanders? What 
country did Columbus wish to reach ? 

5. What can you say of Marco Polo ? What was the first motive of Columbus ? 

6. What was his second motive ? How was trade with the Indies then car- 
ried on ? 

7. What change in trade with India occurred in 1453 ? What did the Portuguese 
attempt to do ? 

8. What did Diaz accomplish ? What was the plan of Columbus ? State his 
three reasons. 

9. What mistake did he make ? From whom did Columbus seek help ? 
10. How did the council regard his proposed voyage ? 

n-12. What help did he finally receive ? When did he sail? What route did 
he take ? How was he equipped for the voyage ? What conviction did he have ? 

1 3-1 ^. What is said of the voyage? Variation of the needle? Feeling of the 
crew? When and why did Columbus change his course? When and where did he 
land ? What did Columbus believe this land to be ? What did he call the natives ? 
Why? 

16. When did Columbus return to Spain ? What about his letter? 

17. How did the Pope divide the world ? Was Spain satisfied with the discoveries 
of Columbus ? Where and how did he die ? 

18-19. Who discovered the continent of North America ? Where? When? 

20- 21. How did America get its name? 

21- 23. .What was it thought to be? Who first discovered it to be an independent 
continent ? 

23-24. What was the great merit of Columbus ? What voyages are mentioned 
in the Summary ? 

25- 26. What did Ponce de Leon discover? Why did he name the land Florida? 

26- 27. When and where did Balboa discover the Pacific? When did Cortez 
land in Mexico ? 

28. What exploration did Cartier make? What did Cabeza de Vaca discover ? 
29-30. Describe De Soto's expedition. What great river did he discover? 
31. Where was he buried ? Who were the Huguenots ? Where did they attempt 
to settle ? 

32- 33. What did Menendez do ? What is said of St. Augustine ? What of De 
Gourgues ? 

33- 34. What did Frobisher and Davis try to do ? What were the results ? 

34- 35. Describe Gilbert's voyages; Drake's voyage. What country did he call 
New Albion ? 

36. What expedition did Raleigh send out, and with what result ? 
36-37. When did he send out his first colony to Virginia? What new root and 
new weed did the colonists discover ? 



* The figures refer to pages. 



QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 



xliii 



37-38. What happened to his second colony? 

39- 40. What white settlers did this country have in 1600? What was America 
found to be ? How is America superior to Europe ? What is said of the influence 
of the geography of America on its history (see page 50) ? 

40- 47. \Vhat can you say about the Indians ? Their appearance ? Mode of life ? 
What was their most ingenious work ? How were they governed ? What was wam- 
pum used for ? How was the Indian bound by customs ? What was the totem ? 
What was the Indian's religion ? What about his self-control, his torturing captives, 
his respect for courage ? What about the Indian and the White Man ? What did 
the Whites learn from the Indians ? What influence did the Indians have on the 
early history of the country ? 

47-48. What effects did the discovery of America have on Europe in regard to 
geographical knowledge, enterprise, precious metals, commerce, new products, sugar, 
cotton, rice, and coffee ? what effect on men's minds ? 

49-50. Summarize the settlements of the Spaniards and others in America. 

51-53. Describe GosnokTs expedition. Did England need America? Why? 
What is said of the London and the Plymouth Companies ? What is a Charter ? 
What were the three most important articles of the Charter? 

53-57. When did the first colony sail? Of what did the colony consist ? What is 
said of Captain John Smith? Where did the colonists settle? Did they own any 
land ? Could they vote ? Did they own what they raised ? How did they get on 
the first summer? What about Pocahontas? What happened in the summer of 
1608 ? What did the colonists resolve to do ? 

57- 58. What did Governor Dale do ? What did he give the settlers ? 

58- 59. What effect did the raising of tobacco have ? 

60-62. What met in Jamestown in 1619 ? What is said about women's coming to 
Virginia ? When did negro slavery begin in America ? What about white appren- 
tices ? Who had now settled in the North ? When did Virginia become a royal 
province ? What about Sir William Berkeley ? 

63-66. Who were the Puritans? The Cavaliers? What famous men in Vir- 
ginia descended from the Cavaliers ? What were the Navigation Laws ? Who was 
Nathaniel Bacon, and what did he do ? 

67-74. Describe Hudson's expedition. Who took possession of the country? 
What did they name it ? What is said of Fort Orange ? What of Peter Minuit ? 
Who were the Patroons ? What can you say of Peter £ Luyvesant ? Who claimed 
the country ? What happened in 1664 ? 

75-76. Who first claimed New Jersey ? How did it get the name of New Jersey ? 
What about the Friends, or Quakers ? 

77-79. What about religious liberty in England in 1607 ? Who were the Separa- 
tists ? To what country did they first go ? Why did the Separatists or Pilgrims come 
to America in 1620 ? 

79-82. Describe the sailing of the Mayflower. What land did the colonists first 
see ? What did they do there ? Where did they finally land ? How were public 
matters settled and the laws made? What about Governor Bradford and the 
Indians ? Of what did Plymouth colony finally become part ? 

82-90. Where did Endicott plant a colony ? When did Winthrop come, and 
where did he finally settle ? What is said of the emigrants who came in the next ten 
years? How was Massachusetts governed ? Who could vote ? What did the peo- 
ple do for a living ? Who was Roger Williams ? Why did he leave Massachusetts ? 
What about" Mrs. Hutchinson ? How did Williams influence the Narragansett 
Indians? What is said of public schools, of Harvard College, of John Eliot ? 

90-93. What was the object of the New England Confederacy ? What about the 
coming of the Friends, or Quakers ? What did the Puritans do to the Friends ? 
What did f he king do ? 

93-95. Describe King Philip's War. What about the Salem witchcraft ? When 
did Massachusetts become a royal province ? What is said of Andros ? What of the 
new Charter ? 

96-98. Where and by whom was New Hampshire first settled? Why was it so 
named ? What of Exeter ? Of Londonderry ? 

98-103. Describe the first settlements in Connecticut. What about the Pequot 



xliv LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



War? What about the Connecticut Constitution? What about the New Haven 
colony ? What of the Regicides, of Andros and the Charter ? 

103-108. Who were the Catholic Pilgrims? Where did they settle? W T hat 
was the first English Catholic church in America? Who made the laws of the 
colony? How about religious freedom? What is said of the Clayborne and 
Ingle rebellion ? What was done in' regard to Catholic worship in Maryland ? 
What happened when Lord Baltimore got his rights again ? W T hat was done when 
the king took possession ? What is said of Mason and Dixon's line ? 

10S-111. What did Roger Williams do in 1636? Why did he name the place 
Providence? What is said of religious liberty in the colony? What other settle- 
ments were made in Rhode Island? What is said of the Charter? 

111-113. Who first settled Delaware ? Where? What happened to the colony ? 
What was the first state to enter the Union ? 

113-117. How did the name Carolina originate? Where was the first settlement 
made? What is said of Charleston? What about the Huguenots? What was the 
" Grand Model" ? When was the province divided into North and South Carolina? 
What is said of rice ? Of indigo ? Of Charleston in 1773 ? 

1 18-122. Why did Charles II. give William Penn a large tract of land? What 
did the king name it ? What did Penn intend to do in America ? Where was the 
first settlement made ? What is said of the " Great Law " ? Of the Great Treaty ? 
Of Philadelphia ? 

122-126. W r hy did General Oglethorpe wish to establish a colony in America? 
Why was the province named Georgia ? Where did the colonists settle ? What 
about silk culture ? Did the colonists have much freedom ? When did Georgia 
become a royal province? 

126-131. Who first explored the West? Describe Joliet and Marquette's expedi- 
tion. What did La Salle do ? Who founded Mobile? Who New Orleans? How 
much of the country did the English hold ? What had France got possession of ? 
What did France mean to do? What forts did the French build? 

131-142. When did war with the French begin? When did it end? How many 
wars are usually mentioned ? Did the Indians take any part ? What can you say of 
Louisburg ? What of the great line of French forts ? What of the Ohio Company ? 
Who went as a messenger from the governor of Virginia to the French? What 
results did the journey have ? What is said of the Albany Convention ? What of 
Braddock's expedition? What of William Pitt? How did the name Pittsburgh 
originate? What is said of the fall of Quebec? What did the French and Indian 
War settle ? 

1 42-1 5 1. What was the population of the thirteen colonies in 1763 ? W r hat about 
foreign trade? Did all the colonies have the same form of government? How did 
the farmers live? What is said of the life in cities and on plantations? What 
about travel, letters, hospitality, laws ? What of education, of books ? What did 
Edwards write ? What did Franklin ? What about Franklin and electricity ? 

152-169. What is said of George III.? How did he interfere with American 
commerce ? What happened in Boston ? Why did the king propose to tax the col- 
onists? Why did they object? What about the Stamp Act? What of the 
Declaratory Act? The Boston Massacre? The New Taxes? W'hat about the 
" Boston Tea Party " ? What did Parliament do ? What did Massachusetts do ? 
Describe the British expedition to Lexington and Concord. How did it end? 
Describe the taking of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Who was appointed 
commander of the Continental Army ? What is said of Bunker Hill and the battle ? 
When and where did Washington take command of the army ? Describe the expe- 
dition against Quebec. How did Washington drive the British out of Boston ? 
What about Fort Moultrie ? What is said of " Common Sense " ? Did the Ameri- 
cans seek to separate from Great Britain ? What is said of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence ? 

169-180. What did the British hope to do in New York? What is said of Wash- 
ington? Describe the battle of Long Island. In what direction did Washington 
retreat? What is said of Fort Washington? Of Lee? Describe Washington's 
retreat across New Jersey. The victory of Trenton. What did Robert Morris do 
for Washington? How did Washington outwit Cornwallis? What is said of Bur- 



QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 



xlv 



goyne's expedition ? Describe the battle of Bennington. Describe Howe's expedi- 
tion to Pennsylvania. What is said of the Saratoga battles ? What did France do ? 
What help did Franklin render ? 

180-188. What was the condition of Washington's army at Valley Forge ? What 
did England offer in the spring of 1778 ? What is said of the battle of Monmouth? 
Of Lee ? What did the British do next ? Why ? Speak of Savannah ; of Wayne's 
victory; of Paul Tones. What of Charleston? What of Marion and Sumter? 
What of battle of Camden ? Of King's Mountain ? Speak of Arnold's treason ; and 
of the winter at Morristown. What is said of General Greene ? Of Cowpens ? Of 
Guilford Court House? What did Cornwallis resolve to do? What is said of 
Greene's victories in South Carolina? Describe the " Crowning Victory of War." 
How did the news affect Lord North ? Give summary of the Revolution. 

188-195. What of George III.'s speech? When was peace made? What was the 
condition of United States? How about money ? About trade between the states ? 
What is said of Shays' Rebellion ? What of the Northwest Territory ? When and 
where did the Convention meet to make a new Constitution ? What did they accom- 
plish ? What is said of Alexander Hamilton ? What four things did the Constitu- 
tion accomplish? What amendments to the Constitution were adopted? What 
were they called, and why ? Give summary of the period. 

195-203. What is said of political parties ? Of the election of Washington ? Of 
his inauguration? Whom did Washington choose for his cabinet? How did the 
government raise money? What did Hamilton do with a large part of this money ? 
What did the government do in 1790, 1791, and 1792 ? What is said of ''Citizen" 
Genet ? What of emigration to the West ? What great invention was made in 1 793 ? 
What came of it ? Speak of the Whiskey Rebellion ; of Jay's Treaty. 

204-206. What is said of France ? Of the " X. Y. Z." papers ? What were the 
Alien and the Sedition Laws? What illustrious man died in 1799? 

206-214. Of what party was President Jefferson? Where was he inaugurated? 
What was thought of the probable extent of the Republic ? Why ? What about the 
war with Tripoli ? What great territory did Jefferson purchase ? What advantage 
did it secure us? Describe Lewis and Clarke's expedition. What about the French 
and English war ? What was the Embargo Act ? What effect did it have ? What 
was the Non-Intercourse Act ? What results did it have ? What is said of 
Aaron Burr? What about "Fulton's Folly"? What of the Savannah? What 
did Congress do in 1807 ? What did Jefferson say of slavery ? 

214-225. What is said of Madison's attempt to re-open trade with Great Britain? 
What of Napoleon ? Speak of Tecumseh's conspiracy ; of the Henry letters. What 
caused the War of 1812? Speak of General Hull; of the Constitution and the 
Guerriere ; of Perry's victory; of Jackson's. What is said of Chippewa and of 
Lundy's Lane ? What of the British capture of Washington ? Describe Mac- 
donough's victory. What is said of Fort McHenry ? What of Jackson at New 
Orleans? What results did the war have? 

225-234. What is said of Monroe? What of his journey through the North? 
What was the Seminole War? What did Spain do with Florida? What great 
question now came up ? What change of feeling had occurred ? How did slavery 
divide the country ? How did the North and South feel about the extension of 
slavery ? What was the Missouri Compromise ? What about the National Road ? 
What is the Monroe Doctrine ? Speak of the visit of Lafayette. 

234-240. Describe the building of the Erie- Canal and its results. What about 
" Steam Wagons " ? What was the first railroad opened in the United States ? Of 
what did railroads convince people ? What is said about Drinking Habits and the 
Temperance Cause ? 

240-252. Who was the first President from the West ? How did he begin his 
administration ? What is said about removal of government officers and employes ? 
What is said about the " Spoils system"? What is said of Garrison? What did 
Channing say ? What happened in Virginia ? What was done at the North ? 
What about Abolition Societies? What petitions were sent to Congress? What 
was the result ? Why did the President put an end to the United States Bank ? 
Why did South Carolina resist the duty on imported goods ? What was Nullifica- 
tion ? What is said of Webster's reply to Hayne ? What debt do we owe Daniel 



xlvi 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Webster ? What did the President do ? Speak of the growth of the country. What 
is said about railroads and canals ? What about coal ? What of the Express Sys- 
tem ? What is said about Indian wars at the West and in Florida ? What of Chi- 
cago ? Who were our first painters ? Our first writers ? What appeared in 1833 ? 

252-258. What is said of the panic of 1837 ? What did the government establish ? 
What can you say of the Mormons? Where did they finally go? What happened 
in 1 840 ? What is said of emigrants ? Of ocean steamships ? Of the growth of the 
West ? 

258-263. What was Harrison called? How long did he live after he became 
President ? What is said about Tyler ? What of the Dorr Rebellion, the Webster- 
Ashburton Treaty, the Anti-renters ? What about the Electric Telegraph ? Who 
discovered that ether would control pain ? What country did we annex in 1845 ? 

263-272. What is said of Oregon? What of Dr. Whitman? How did we finally 
get Oregon ? Why did the Mexican War break out ? What battles can you men- 
tion ? What countries did we conquer ? What is said of General Scott ? What 
important city did he take ? What was there remarkable about the war ? What did 
we obtain by rhe treaty of peace ? What was the Wilmot Proviso ? What is said of 
the discovery of gold in California ? What results did it have ? 

272-276. What is said about slavery? What were Clay's plans of compromise? 
What important law was passed, and what were its results? What can you say of 
" Uncle Tom's Cabin " ? of Sumner and Davis ? 

276-282. What did the " Crystal Palace " exhibition of 1853 prove ? What is said 
about the reaper invented by McCormick ? Who opened the ports of Japan ? What 
was the Kansas-Nebraska Act ? What happened in Kansas ? How did Kansas 
enter the Union at last ? What happened to Charles Sumner ? 

2S2-292. What was the Dred Scott case ? What was Judge Taney's decision ? 
How did the North feel about it ? What can you say of the panic of 1857 ? What 
was discovered in Nevada and Colorado ? In Pennsylvania ? How is much of the 
oil sent to market ? What was John Brown's raid, and how did it end ? Who was 
elected President in i860? What did the people of South Carolina think of the 
election ? What did they do ? What did six other Southern States do ? Why did 
the South secede ? What did the Confederacy seize ? What did President Buchanan 
try to do ? What is said of the growth of the United States between 1789 and 1861 ? 
What sad difference was there between 1789 and 1861 ? What had caused the differ- 
ence ? What must now happen in regard to the Union ? 

293-308. \Vhat did President Lincoln say at his inauguration ? What did he 
intend to do? What is said of Major Anderson ? What next happened? What 
did the President do when he heard of the surrender of Fort Sumter ? What states 
now seceded ? How many did that make in all ? Name them. To what place was 
the Confederate capital now removed ? What did General Butler do with fugitive 
slaves ? What was the condition of the North with respect to the war ? of the 
South ? Speak of the number and position of the two armies. What is said of the 
battle of Bull Run ? How did " Stonewall " Jackson get his name ? What results 
did the defeat at Bull Run have ? What was the Union plan of the war ? What is 
said of the Union blockading fleet ? What about the Confederate blockade-runners 
and war-vessels ? What of Mason and Slidell ? What can you say of the Merri- 
mac ? What of the Monitor ? What about the war in the West ? What did General 
Grant write to General Buckner ? What is said of the battle of Pittsburg Landing ? 
Of Island No. 10 ? What was the general result of the first year of the war ? 

308-315. Describe the expedition against New Orleans. What noted naval com- 
mander in the late war with Spain was with Farragut at New Orleans ? What was 
the result of the expedition ? What is said of Port Hudson and Vicksburg ? What 
did McClellan do ? What was the result of the Peninsular Campaign ? What about 
the second battle of Bull Run ? Describe Lee's advance. What happened at Antie- 
tam ? What is said of the battle of Fredericksburg ? Of Murfreesboro ? What did 
the President do on New Year's Day, 1863 ? W r hat has been the result ? What was 
the North fighting for before the Proclamation ? What afterwards ? 

315-321. What is said of the battle of Chancellorsville ? What of Gettysburg? 
Who made a famous charge at Gettysburg ? Can you describe it ? What was the 
result of the battle ? What can you say about Vicksburg? How did many of the 



QUESTIONS FOR" EXAMINATION. 



xlvii 



people have to live during the siege ? How did the siege end ? On what day ? What 
about Port Hudson ? What had now been done ? What about the draft riots ; Mor- 
gan's raid ? Where was a severe battle fought September 19-20 ? Why was General 
Thomas called " the Rock of Chickamauga " ? Speak of Missionary Ridge and Look- 
out Mountain. What did Sherman do at Meridian ? Who was now made general- 
in-chief of the Union armies? 

322-334. What did Grant and Sherman now decide to do ? What order did Gen- 
eral Grant send to Sherman from the " Wilderness " ? Where were the battles of 
the Wilderness fought ? What is said of them ? Did Grant turn back ? What did 
he do ? Where and by whom was the Alabama taken ? What was Early's raid ? 
Describe Sheridan's raid in the Shenandoah Valley. What is said of the Petersburg 
mine ? What of Sheridan's ride ? What did Sherman do in the West ? What 
important city did he take ? What is said of Farragut ? What did Sherman deter- 
mine to do ? What did he accomplish ? What is said of Thomas ? To how many 
states had the Confederacy now shrunk? What message did Sherman send to the 
President ? Where did his men think they were going ? Describe Sherman's march 
northward. What did Sheridan do on the west of Richmond ? on the south ? What 
did Grant then capture ? What did Lee do ? What happened the next day ? De- 
scribe Lee's surrender. What happened at Fort Sumter on April 14, 1865 ? What 
had the war cost ? What happened at Washington on the evening of April 14, 
1865 ? What can be said of the North in the war ? Of the South ? What did the 
war establish ? 

334-344. Describe the military review in Washington. What next occurred? 
What three things did the war settle ? W T hat is said of the President's proclamation 
of pardon ? What question now came up ? How did the President and Congress 
disagree ? What was the result ? What did Congress do in the spring of 1867 ? 
What is said of the Fourteenth Amendment ? What of Tennessee ? How many 
states came back ? What about the others ? What is said about the negroes ? About 
the " Carpet-Baggers " ? After a time what happened ? Why did Congress impeach 
the President ? What was the result ? What did the President do the next Christ- 
mas ? What did Congress do in 1869? What is said of the Thirteenth Amend- 
ment? Of the Fourteenth ? Of the Fifteenth ? What had Professor Morse predicted ? 
What did Cyrus Field do ? What result has the cable had ? What territory did Con- 
gress purchase in 1867 ? W T hat can you say about it ? What can you say about the 
payment of the war-debt ? 

344-353. What great work was completed shortly after Grant became President ? 
Describe the road. What is said of the railroad and the telegraph ? W hat of the 
effect of the Pacific road on commerce with Asia ? On the growth of the Far West ? 
What is said about the Homestead Act ? What is said about Western farms and 
ranches ? When was reconstruction completed ? What is said about the Weather 
Bureau? What is said about the "Force Bill"? What happened at the West in 
1871? What at the East in 1872? What is said of "Boss" Tweed"? Of the 
" Whiskey Ring " ? W T hat is said about the new Coinage Act ? What happened in 
1873? What is said of the Centennial Exhibition ? What great change has taken 
place since Washington's day ? What were two of the most remarkable novelties 
exhibited? What is said of electricity? What treaty was made in 1871 ? What 
was one of its results ? What wars shortly after occurred ? 

353-356. What is said of the election of President Hayes? (See note 1.) How 
was the dispute finally settled? (See note 1.) What action did the President take 
respecting the South ? What is said of the negro ? What happened in 1S77 ? What 
great work did Captain Eads accomplish ? What is said about the " greenbacks " ? 
What was done on New Year's Day, 1879 ? What was the result ? 

356-362. When was President Garfield assassinated ? What did Congress do ? 
What effect does the Civil Service Reform have ? What happened in Louisiana in 
1882? Describe the East River Bridge. What about letter postage? What was 
the Alien Contract Labor Act ? What is said of the New Orleans Exhibition ? What 
did it prove ? What great change has taken place in New Orleans ? What is said 
of the South before the war and since ? What about free labor ? Cotton ? Cotton- 
seed oil? (Note 1.) What of the Freedmen ? Of education? 

362-371. What is said of President Cleveland ? What did he try to do ? How 



Xlviii LEADING FACTS OF' AMERICAN HISTORY. 



did he succeed? What was one object of the " Knights of Labor"? What is 
said of the " Black List " ? Of the " Boycott " ? Of the " American Federation of 
Labor"? Of the " Department of Labor"? What happened in 1886? What occurred 
at Chicago ? What is said about the growth of great corporations and " trusts " ? 
What is a "trust" ? (See note 1, p. 367.) What happened at Charleston in 1886? 
What at the West in 1884 and in the winter of 1888 ? What is said about the perma- 
nent effect of these disasters on our country ? What can you say about the Statue 
of Liberty ? What four important laws were passed during Cleveland's presidency ? 

371-376. Where is Oklahoma ? Describe the opening of Oklahoma. What event 
was celebrated in New York in the spring of 1889 ? Describe the Johnstown disaster. 
What is said of the Congress of the three Americas? W r hat new states were admitted 
in November, 1889? What two in 1890 ? What is the whole number of states in 
the Union ? How many stars has our flag now? What is said of our new ships-of- 
war ? What about woman suffrage (or right to vote) in Wyoming ? in Colorado ? 
in Utah ? What is said about the new Pension Act ; the Sherman Silver Act ; the 
McKinley Protective Tariff? What about the Census of 1890; the Patent Office; 
Centennial ? What is said of the Immigration Act of 1891 ? The Homestead strike? 
What of the extension of Civil Service Reform ? 

376-382. Describe the Australian or Secret Ballot. What is said of the Columbian 
Exposition? What of " Hard Times " ? What two important acts were repealed in 
1893 an d 1894? Give an account of the Behring Sea case. How was it settled? 
What is said of the Coxey " industrial army " ? What about the Pullman strike ? 
What of " Hard Times " ? What of the Republic of Hawaii ? W r hat is said of the 
Wilson Tariff? W T hat about extension of Civil Service Reform in 1894? How 
many places are now filled by examination ? What is said of the Atlanta Exhi- 
bition of 1895 ? What about Utah in 1896 ? What of the " New West " ? What 
was the Venezuela Question? How was it settled? What is said of a general 
treaty of arbitration ? 

383-402. Give an account of the Dingley Tariff. What is said about the increase 
in our exports ? What do we now send abroad ? Where does Great Britain get the 
larger part of her food supply ? What about American iron and steel, machinery, 
tools, and labor-saving inventions? What was the total value .of our exports in 
1898? Describe Grant's tomb and the Congressional Library Building. What is 
said of " Greater New York" ? What about the growth of cities in America since 
1790? What is said about the government of American cities? What may your 
vote do ? What is said of the revised state Constitutions of three Southern states ? 
What about the amended Constitution of South Dakota ? What possession did 
Spain have in North America in the sixteenth century ? What did she have at the 
beginning of the nineteenth century ? What about twenty-five years later ? What is 
said of the revolution in Cuba ? What demands did the United States make on Spain ? 
What did Spain do ? Describe the destruction of the Maine. What did President 
McKinley say in his message to Congress ? What resolutions did Congress adopt ? 
What preparations did we make for war with Spain ? Give an account of the battle 
of Manila. How was Cervera's squadron " bottled up"? What did Hobson do? 
What happened near Santiago ? What happened to Cervera's squadron ? What is 
said about the end of the war ? What about the annexation of Hawaii ? What 
does the Treaty of Peace give the United States ? What was said in Congress 
against ratifying the Treaty ? What was said in its favor ? How and when was 
the question decided? When did the Spanish forces leave Cuba? What did the 
war with Spain cost in money and in life ? What is said of the " Red Cross " and 
of the women of America? What about the "Trans-Mississippi Exposition"? 
What of Cheap Lands ? What of agricultural prosperity at the West ? What 
about the preservation of forests? What of "Arbor Day"? What is said in 
the " General Summary" of the growth of the American Republic? What advan- 
tages does this country offer ? What do these facts prove ? What question ought 
each one to ask himself ? What depends on the answer to this question ? 



f 



1 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS FOR SLATE AND BLACKBOARD. 



The figtires refer to the numbered paragraphs. 



First Period. — The Discovery and Naming of America. (1000-1521.) 



Columbus. 



The Northmen. <J 



Geographical 
knowledge. 



{ 



Who were they ? 

Iceland. 

Greenland. 

" Leif the Lucky." 

Vinland. 

Results of the discovery of America by the Northmen. 

Ideas about the earth in 1436. 
The " Sea of Darkness." 

Birth of Columbus. 

Visits Iceland. 

What he wished to do. 

Marco Polo's book. 

First motive or object of Columbus. 

His second motive. 

Trade with the Indies. (Venice, Genoa.) 
Portuguese voyages. (Results.) 



(How far right, how far wrong.) 
Canary Islands ; equipment for the 



Plan of Columbus. 
He seeks assistance 
He sails. (Vessels 
voyage.) 

Incidents of the voyage. (Compass, crew, birds.) 
Land ! (The West Indies ; the Indians.) 
Return. (Letter of Columbus ; division of the world.) 
Disappointment of Spain. 

Death of Columbus. (What he had accomplished.) 



The Cabots. 



r 14. John. 

J 14. Sebastian. 

I 14. Henry VII. 's note-book, 

v. 14. England's claim to America. 



Origin of the 
name America. 



r 15- 



Amerigo Vespucci. 
What happened in 1507. 

Did Amerigo Vespucci deserve the honor he received ? 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



li 



Discoveries 
concerning 
America. 



f 1 6. What people thought of America. 
| 1 6. Magellan. 



1 6. How Europe felt about his discovery. 



Summary of the section. 



Second Period. — Attempts at Exploring and Colonizing America. 

(1513-1602.) 

Ponce de Leon. 18. Discovers and names Florida. 



Balboa. 



19. Discovers the " South Sea." (Cortez.) 

r 

20. Francis I. : Cartier. 



French 
explorations. 

New attempts of f 21. Narvaez ; Cabeza de Vaca 
the Spaniards. \ 22. De Soto's expedition. 



The French f 23. Jean Ribaut ; Laudonniere 

(Huguenots) and J 2 4- Menendez ; St. Augustine. 

the Spaniards. 



I ^5. De Gourgues. (Results of the struggle between the 
L French and the Spaniards.) 



English explo- 
rations and 
attempts at 
settlement. 



C 26. Frobisher ; Davis. 

27. Sir Humphrey Gilbert ; Drake. 

28. Sir Walter Raleigh's expedition. 

-{ 29. Raleigh's first colony. (The new root ; the new weed.) 

I 30. Raleigh's second colony. (Croatoan.) 

I 31. Results of the Spanish, French, and English attempts up 
t to 1600. 



America and 
the Indians. 



32. What America was found to be. (Climate, soil, crops; 

healthfulness ; superiority to Europe.) 

33. The Indian population. 

34. Personal appearance of the Indians. (The scalp-lock.) 

35. How they lived. (The four chief families or tribes; 

note 1.) 

36. Their work. (The moccasin ; the snow-shoe ; the canoe.) 

37. Government of tribes ; "wampum." 

38. Social condition ; customs; "totems." 

39. Religion; character. 

40. Self-control ; torture ; respect for courage. (General 

Stark.) 

41. The Indian and the white man; what the Indian taught 

the white man. 

42. Influence of the Indians on the early history of the coun- 

try. (The Iroquois ; the Indian wars.) 



Hi 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



43. (1) Geographical knowledge. 

43. (2) Spain, Portugal, France, and England. 

43. (3) The precious metals. 

43. (4) Trade and navigation. 

43. (5) New products. 

43. (6) Sugar, cotton, rice, coffee. 

43. (7) Effects on men's minds. (Opportunity.) 

44. Summary of the section. (Spaniards, French, English.) 
Effects of the geography of America on its history. (See map, pages 50, 51.) 



Third Period. 



Permanent English and French Settlements. 
(1602-1763.) 



The English 

and the French 

establish 

permanent 

colonies. 

I. Virginia 

(1607). 



The Dutch 
settle New 
Netherland. 
II. New York 
(1614). 



III. New 
Jersey (1617). 



45- 
46. 

47- 
48. 
49. 



66. 
66. 
67. 

I 68. 



Opening of the 17th century; Gosnold. 

England's need of America ; the king grants a charter to 

settle Virginia. (Articles of the charter ; instructions.) 
The London Company ; Captain John Smith. 
Jamestown ; condition of the colonists. 
Their sufferings ; search for the Pacific ; Pocahontas. 
Gold ! The French in Canada ; what the colony owed 

Smith ; Jamestown abandoned. 
Lord Delaware ; the new charter ; Governor Dale ; the 

great reform. (Gift of land.) 
Cultivation of tobacco. (Four effects.) 
Virginia becomes practically self-governing. (The house 

of Burgesses ; wives.) 
Negro slaves ; white " apprentices." 
What settlements were made at the North. 
Virginia loses her charter ; Governor Berkeley ; Puritans 

and Cavaliers. 

Berkeley restored to power ; the Navigation Laws ; the 
king gives away Virginia. (Other English colonies.) 

Condition of the Virginia colonists ; the Bacon rebellion. 
(Results.) 

Summary of the Virginia colony. 

Henry Hudson. 
The Indians. 

The Dutch take possession of New Netherland ; the Eng- 
lish and the French. 
Purchase of Manhattan Island. 
The Patroons. (Van Rensselaer.) 

Peter Stuyvesant ; New Amsterdam. (The English claim 

the country ; they seize it.) 
Summary of New Netherland or New York. 

Dutch claim ; English claim. 

English get possession. (Name New Jersey.) 

The Friends or Quakers. (Treaty with the Indians ; 

government of the colony.) 
Summary of New Jersey. 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



liii 



IV. Massachu- 
setts (Plym- 
outh Colony, 
1620). 



69. Religious liberty in England. (Catholics, Puritans, Sep- 

aratists.) 

70. Emigration ; the Separatists. 

71. Why the Separatists or Pilgrims resolved to leave Hol- 

land for America. 

72. Where they intended to settle ; how they got assistance. 

73. The Pilgrims sail ; Myles Standish. 

74. Cape Cod ; the compact. 

75. Exploring the coast; Plymouth Rock. (The first win- 

ter.) 

76. Governor Bradford ; town-meeting ; Indians. 

77. The Pilgrims buy out the English Company. (Growth 

of the colony ; what made the Pilgrims great.) 



IV. Massachu- 
setts (Massa- 
chusetts Bay 
Colony, 1630). 



Salem ; Governor Endicott ; religious toleration. (Love 

of England and love of America.) 
Governor Winthrop ; Boston. (Emigration to New 

England.) 

Government of Massachusetts; occupations of the people. 
Banishment of Roger Williams; of Mrs. Hutchinson ; 

Williams and the Indians. 
Public schools ; Harvard University; Rev. John Eliot. 
The New England Confederacy ; object ; results. 
The coming of the Friends or Quakers. 
Why it excited alarm. (What the Friends refused 

to do.) 

Effect of persecution on the Friends. 
What Massachusetts did ; what the king did. 
King Philip's War. (Eliot's Indians; result of the 
war.) 

The Salem witchcraft. 

Massachusetts loses her charter ; Andros ; the new charter. 
Summary of Plymouth and of Massachusetts Bay colo- 



V. New Hamp- 
shire (1623). 



92. Grant to Gorges and Mason ; first settlements. 

93. Division of the territory ; Exeter. 

94. Londonderry ; union of New Hampshire with Massachu- 

setts. (Voting ; New Hampshire a royal province.) 

95. Summary of New Hampshire. 



VI. Connecticut 
(1634). 



96. Emigration to the valley of the Connecticut ; Hooker's 

colony. 

97. The Pequot War. 

98. The Connecticut constitution. (Of what it was the 

parent.) 

99. The New Haven colony; Scripture laws. 

100. The Regicides ; Davenport's sermon ; Andros and the 

Connecticut charter. 

101. Summary of Connecticut. 



liv 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



VII. Maryland 
(1634)- 



102. 
103. 
104. 
105. 



106. 



107. 



[oS. 



The Catholic Pilgrims ; Lord Baltimore ; Maryland. 
St. Mary's ; the wigwam church. 
Government of the colony ; religious freedom. 
Clayborne and Ingle ; what the English commissioners 

did ; how the Assembly or Legislature treated Lord 

Baltimore. 

Lord Baltimore restored to his rights ; Maryland loses 
her charter. 

Establishment of the Church of England; Maryland 
restored to Lord Baltimore ; Mason and Dixon's line. 
Summary of Maryland. 



VIII. Rhode 
Island (1636). 



109. Roger Williams ; Providence. 

no. Liberty of conscience. (The Constitution of the United 
States.) 

in. Settlement of the island of Rhode Island; the charter. 

(Rhode Island and the Revolution.) 
112. Summary of Rhode Island. 



IX. New 
Sweden, or Del- 
aware (1638). 



113. The Swedes plant a colony ; the Dutch. 

114. The English seize the country. (William Penn ; the 

" Territories " ; the National Constitution.) 

115. Summary of Delaware. 



X., XI. Caro- 
lina (1663). 



119. 



Grant of Carolina ; first settlements. 
Charleston ; the Huguenots. 

The " Grand Model " ; division of the territory into 

North and South Carolina. 
Growth of the two colonies ; rice ; indigo ; Charleston in 

1773- 

Summary of Carolina. 



XII. Pennsyl- 
vania (1681). 



C 121. William Penn ; Pennsylvania ; the " Holy Experiment.' 

I 122. The first emigrants ; Philadelphia; Penn at Newcastle. 

•{ 123. The " Great Law." 

124. The Great Treaty; importance of Philadelphia. 

125. Summary of Pennsylvania. 



XIII. Georgia 
(i733). 



126. Oglethorpe. (His two objects in establishing a colony.) 

127. Georgia; Savannah; silk culture. 

128. Five restrictions on the colony. (Results.) 

129. The Wesleys; Whitefield ; removal of the restrictions; 

the Spaniards; Georgia in 1752 ; natural resources of 
Georgia. 
^ 130. Summary of Georgia. 



The French in 
the West and 
the South 
(1669-1718). 



131. French exploration of the West ; the Jesuit missionaries. 

132. Joliet and Marquette on the Mississippi. 

133. La Salle's expedition. (The forts ; Louisiana.) 

134. Mobile and New Orleans ; what the English colonists 

held : what the French held. 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



lv 



The wars of the 
English with 
the French and 
the Indians 
(1689-1763). 



135. War with the French and Indians ; (1) " King William's 
War." (Schenectady, Haverhill, Acadia.) 

135. (2) "Queen Anne's War." (Deerfield, Annapolis, Nova 
Scotia.) 

(3) " King George's War " ; Louisburg. (Results.) 

137. (4) The " French and Indian War." (Object ; the French 

forts.) 

138. The Ohio Company ; Governor Dinwiddie's messen- 

ger. 

139. Results of Washington's journey. 

140. The Albany Convention; Franklin's snake; Brad- 

dock. 

141. Braddock's defeat ; Washington. 

142. Acadian exiles; William Pitt. (Louisburg; Fort Du- 

quesne ; the French driven back to Canada.) 

143. Fall of Quebec ; Pontiac. 

144. What the war settled. (France and the West in 1759; 

treaty of 1763 ; what America was to become ; Spain ; 
the English flag at the end of 1763.) 

145. Four results of the wars between the English and the 

French. 



General state of 
the country in 
1763. 



146. 

147. 
148. 

149. 

IsO. 



53- 



The thirteen colonies in 1763. (" Making roots.") The 
population. 

Language, religion, social rank ; cities ; trade. 
Government of the colonies ; law. (" Don't tread on 

me.") Unity of the people. 
Farm life. (The houses ; the fires ; food ; the store ; 

recreation.) 

City life ; the Southern Plantations. (Dress; life then 

and life now.) 
Travel ; letters ; hospitality ; severe laws. 
Education ; books ; Edwards ; Franklin. (Electricity.) 
Summary of the colonial period. 



Fourth Period. — The Revolution; the Constitution. (1763-1789.) 



The Revolution. 
(1. The colonists 
resist taxation 
without repre- 
sentation. 
1764-1775-) 



54- 



156. 

157. 
158. 

159. 
160. 



American commerce ; the new king. (What he was and 
what he did.) 

The king proposes to tax the colonies ; object of tax ; 

protest of the Americans. (Pitt and Burke.) 
The Stamp Act. 

Resistance of the Colonies to the Act. 

Repeal of the Act ; the Declaratory Act ; the Boston 
Massacre ; the Gasfiee. 

The new taxes ; their object ; the " Boston Tea-Party." 

Parliament closes the port of Boston. (General Gage ; 
Patrick Henry ; the first Continental Congress ; Massa- 
chusetts ; the " Minute Men.") 



ivi 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



The Revolution. 
(2. From the be- 
ginning of the 
war, 1775, to 
the Declaration 
of Independence, 
1776.) 



The Revolution. 
(3. The war of 
Independence, 
from 1776 to 
1777.) 



The Revolution. 
(4. The war of 
Independence, 
from 1777 to 
1781.) 



After the 

Revolution 

(1782-1787). 



161. 
162. 
163. 

164. 
165. 
166. 
167. 

168. 

' 169. 
170. 



172. 

1 73. 
174. 

1 7S- 
176. 

177. 
178. 

179. 
180. 

181. 
182. 

183. 

184. 
185. 
185. 
186. 
186. 
187. 



189. 

I I 9°- 

191. 
192. 
193- 

194. 
195. 



Lexington ; Concord. (Paul Revere ; the siege of Boston.) 
Ethan Allen. (Ticonderoga, Crown Point.) 
Washington made - Commander-in-Chief ; Bunker Hill. 

(Franklin's letter.) 
Washington takes command ; the attack on Canada. 
Washington enters Boston ; Fort Moultrie. 
The idea of independence : " Common Sense." 
The Declaration of Independence. (The Liberty bell ; 

the King's statue.) The new nation. 
Summary. 

What the British hoped to do in New York. 
Washington at New York ; Fort Washington ; Fort 
Lee. 

The Battle of Long Island. 

Washington retreats northward. (Fort Washington : 
General Lee.) 

Fort Lee; Washington retreats southward. (General Lee.) 

Trenton. 

Robert Morris. 

Cornwallis outwitted ; Princeton ; Morristown ; La- 
fayette. (De Kalb, Steuben.) 

Burgoyne's Expedition ; Bennington. (Stark.) 

Howe's Expedition ; Brandywine ; Germantown. (Val- 
ley Forge.) 

Saratoga ; " Stars and Stripes" ; results of victory. 
Summary. 

The winter at Valley Forge ; England's offer in 1778. 
Monmouth ; Lee ; Indian massacres ; Clark's victories 
in the West. 

The war in the South ; Savannah ; Wayne's victory ; 

Paul Jones. 
Charleston ; Marion and Sumter. 
Our defeat at Camden. 
Our victory at King's Mountain. 
Arnold's treason. 

The terrible winter at Morristown. 

General Greene ; Cowpens ; the retreat ; Mrs. Steele : 

Guilford Court House ; Cornwallis. 
Greene's victories in South Carolina. 
The crowning victory of the war. (Lafayette ; the French 

Fleet; the "World 's Upside Down" ; Lord North.) 
Summary of the Revolution. 

George III.'s speech ; the treaty ; John Adams. 

Condition of the United States. (Congress.) 

Distress of the country. (Debt, paper money ; quarrels 

of the states ; no freedom of trade.) 
Shays's rebellion. 

The Northwest territory. (The ordinance of 1787 ; 
what the states thought of the territory.) 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



Ivii 



The formation 
and adoption of 
the Constitution 
(1787-1789). 



196. The convention of 1787; the Constitution. 

196. Alexander Hamilton. (The " Ship of State.") 

197. What four things were accomplished by the Constitu- 

tion. 

198. Summary. (What John Adams said.) 



Fifth Period. — The Union; National Development. (1 789-1860.) 



I. 

Washington's 
Administration. -< 
(Two terms, 
1789-1797.) 



( Washington. See note 2, page 136, and the section on the 
Revolution^) 

199. Political parties ; election and inauguration of Wash- 

ington. 

200. Washington's Cabinet ; how the government obtained 

money. 

201. Payment of three great debts. (Hamilton.) 

202. The first census; the U. S. Bank; the Mint. (Decimal 

coinage.) 

203. " Citizen " Genet ; Washington's proclamation. 

204. Emigration to the West. (Boone.) Marietta, Cincin- 

nati. (The first Western newspaper.) War with the 
Indians and results. 

205. The Cotton-gin and its four results. 

206. The Whiskey rebellion. 

207. Jay's treaty ; three new states. 

208. Summary of Washington's presidency. 



II. 

John Adams's 
Administration. 
(One term, 
1797-1801.) 



{Sketch of John Adams. See note 2, page 204.) 

209. Trouble with France ; the " X. Y. Z. Papers." (Pinck- 

ney ; war ; " Hail Columbia.") 

210. The Alien and the Sedition Laws; death of Washing- 

ton. 

211. Summary of John Adams's presidency. 



III. 

Jefferson's 
Administration. 
(Two terms, 
1801-1809.) 



{Jefferson. See note 2, page 206.) 

212. Republican simplicity ; the new capital. 

213. Probable extent of the republic. (Means of travel.) 

214. The Pirates of Tripoli; war; results. 

215. Purchase of Louisiana ; four results. 

216. Lewis and Clarke. (Oregon.) 

217. The French and English war; the Leopard and the 

Chesapeake. 

218. The Embargo ; the Non-Intercourse Act. 

219. Aaron Burr. 

220. " Fulton's Folly." (Western steamboats ; the Savan- 

nah?) 

221. Importation of slaves forbidden. (Jefferson and slav- 

ery.) 

222. (Summary of Jefferson's Presidency.) 



Iviii 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



IV. 

Madison's 
Administration. 
(Two terms, 
1809-1817.) 



V. 

Monroe's 
Administration. 
(Two terms, 
1817-1825.) 



VI. 

John Quincy 
Adams's 
Administration. 
(One term, 
1825-1829.) 



VII. 

Jackson's 
Administration. 
(Two terms, 
1829-1837.) 



(Madison. See note \,page 215.) 

223. Trade re-opened with Great Britain. 

224. How Napoleon deceived us. 

225. Tecumseh's conspiracy ; Tippecanoe. 

226. The Henry Letters ; cause of the war of 18 12. 

227. General Hull; Detroit. 

228. The Constitution and the Guerriere. 

229. Perry's victory. (His dispatch.) 

230. General Jackson and the Indians ; Tohopeka. (Result.) 

231. Chippewa; Lundy's Lane ; burning of Washington. 

232. Macdonough's victory ; Fort McIIenry. (The " Star 

Spangled Banner." 

233. Jackson at New Orleans; end of the war. (The Hart- 

ford Convention, note 1, p. 219) ; the treaty of peace. 

234. The three chief results of the war of 1S12. 

235. Summary of Madison's presidency. 

' {Monroe. See page 225 and note 1.) 

236. The President's inauguration. 

237. His journey ; the " Era of Good Feeling." 

238. First Seminole War ; purchase of Florida. 

239. Question of the western extension of slavery. (Jefferson.). 

240. Change of feeling about slavery; the North and the 

South. 

241. How slavery divided the country in regard to trade. 

242. Why the North opposed the western extension of slavery ; 

why the South demanded it. 

243. The Missouri Compromise. 

244. 245. Desire to reach the West ; the " National Road." 

246. The Monroe Doctrine. (" America for Americans.") 

247. Visit of Lafayette. 

248. Summary of Monroe's presidency. 

f (John Quincy Adams. See note 2, page 234.) 
I 249-251. The Erie Canal and its results. 
<j 252-255. " Steam-wagons" ; railroads and their results. 
I 256,257. The temperance cause ; results. 
[_ 258. Summary of J. Q. Adams's presidency. 

f (Jackson. See page 240 and note 1.) 
260,261. Removal of government officers. (Jefferson's rule.) 
262-264. Garrison, Channing ; the anti-slavery movement ; 
J. Q. Adams. 

265. Jackson and the United States Bank. 

266. South Carolina resists the duty on imported goods. 
267-269. Calhoun ; nullification ; Webster ; Jackson's course 

of action ; Henry Clay. 

270. Growth of the country; railroads; canals; coal; the 

express system. 

271. Indian wars; the West ; Chicago. 

272. American art, books, and newspapers. 
i_ 273. Summary of Jackson's presidency. 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



lix 



VIII. 
Van Buren's 
Administration. 
(One term, 
1837-1841.) 

IX., X. 
Harrison and 
Tyler's Admin- 
istrations. 
(One term, 
1841-1845.) 

XI. 

Polk's 

Administration. 
(One term, 
1845-1849.) 



XII., XIII. 
Taylor and 
Fillmore's Ad- 
ministrations. 
(One term, 
1849-1853.) 



XIV. 
Pierce's 

Administration. 
(One term, 
1853-1857-) 



XV. 
Buchanan's 
Administration. 
(One term, 
1357-1861.) 



" (Van Buren. See note 4, page 252.) 
274, 275. Business failure and panic. (Causes.) 
276. The Independent Treasury and the sub-treasuries. 
277,278. The Mormons ; Nauvoo ; Utah. 

279. Emigration to the United States. (Ocean steamships.) 

280. Summary of Van Buren's presidency. 

[Harrison and Tyler. See note 1, page 258, and note 1, 
page 259.) 

281. Election of Harrison ; his death ; Tyler. 

282. The Dorr Rebellion ; Ashburton treaty ; Anti-renters. 

283. The electric telegraph ; Doctor Morton's discovery. 

284. Annexation of Texas. 

285. Summary of Harrison and Tyler's presidencies. 
(Polk. See note 2, page 263.) 

286-288. The Oregon question ; Dr. Whitman ; the treaty. 

289-292. The Mexican War ; Palo Alto; Resaca de la Palma ; 
declaration of war ; Monterey ; Buena Vista ; Califor- 
nia ; New Mexico ; General Scott ; Vera Cruz ; Cerro 
Gordo ; the City of Mexico ; results of the war. 

293, 294. Discovery of gold in California; Emigration ; results. 

295. Summary of Pplk's presidency. 

( Taylor and Fillmore. See note 1, page 272.) 

296. The question of the further extension of slavery. (The 

North and the South.) 

297. Three methods of settlement proposed ; danger of dis- 

union ; the compromise of 1850; the Fugitive Slave 
Law. 

298. Passage of the Fugitive Slave Law ; its results ; the 

" Underground Railroad " ; the " Higher Law." 

299. " Uncle Tom's Cabin " ; Charles Sumner and Jefferson 

Davis. 

300. Summary of Taylor and Fillmore's presidencies. 
(Pierce. See note 1, page 277.) 

301. The World's Fair of 1853 ; American labor-saving 

machines. 

302. Commodore Perry and Japan. 

303. The Kansas-Nebraska Act. (Stephen A. Douglas.) 
304-306. The struggle for the possession of Kansas; rival 

governments ; civil war in Kansas ; attack on Law- 
rence ; John Brown ; assault on Sumner. 

307. Summary of Pierce's presidency. 

(Buchanan. See note 1, page 282.) 

308, 309. The Dred Scott Case ; Chief Justice Taney's deci- 

sion ; results. 

310. The business panic of 1857. (Causes.) 

311. Discovery of silver, of petroleum, and of natural gas. 

312. John Brown's raid into Virginia. 



Ix 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



{Buchanan's 313. Election of Abraham Lincoln ; secession of South Caro- 

Administration <J lina. 

— continued?) 3 X 4- Secession of six other states ; formation of the " Confed- 

erate States of America." 

315. Why the South seceded ; national property ; the Star of 

the West. 

316. General summary from Washington to Buchanan. (1, 

population ; 2, territorial growth ; 3, cities, railroads, 
and telegraph; 4, disunion: its cause; what must be 
done ; what freedom would accomplish.) 



Sixth Period. — The Civil War. (April, 1861, to April, 1865.) 

(Lincoln. See note 2, page 286, and note 1, page 293.) 



(First year of the 
war, 1861-1862.) 



{Second year of the 
-war, 1 862-1 863.) 

XVI. 
Lincoln's 
Administration. 
(One term and 
part of second, 
1861-1865.) 

( Third year of the 
war, 1 863-1 864.) 



317. 

3x8. 

3i9- 
320. 

321. 



President Lincoln's arrival at Washington and inaugural 

speech. (Feeling at the North.) 
Major Anderson ; Fort Sumter ; the Civil War begins. 
President Lincoln's call for troops ; result. 
Secession of four more states ; General Butler's " Con- 
trabands." 

Condition of the North and the South. (The three 
advantages of the North ; the four of the South.) 

322. Number and. position of the two armies. 

323, 324. Battle of Bull Run ; results. 

325. Union plan of the war. 

326. The Confederate war-vessels ; Mason and Slidell. 

327. The Merrimac ; the Monitor. 

328. The war in the West ; Fort Henry ; Fort Donelson. 
Pittsburg Landing ; Island Number Ten. 
Summary of the first year of the war, April, 1861, to 

April, 1862. 

Second year of the war ; expedition against New Orleans. 
Bombardment of the forts ; capture of New Orleans. 
The war in Virginia; McClellan's advance on Rich- 
mond: the Peninsular Campaign. . 
"Stonewall" Jackson's raid; Stuart; results of the 

Peninsular Campaign. 
Second battle of Bull Run ; Lee's advance ; Antietam. 
Battles of Fredericksburg and Murfreesboro'. 
Proclamation of Emancipation ; results. 
Summary of the second year of the war, April, 1862, to 

April, 1863. 
Third year of the war ; Chancellorsville. 
Gettysburg. 

Vicksburg and Port Hudson. 

Draft riots ; Morgan's raid ; Chicamauga ; siege of 
Chattanooga. 

Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain; Meridian; 

Grant made general-in-chief. 
Summary of the third year of the war, April, 1863, to 
April, 1864. 



3 2 9- 



33i- 
33 2 - 
333- 

334- 

335- 
336. 
337- 
338. 

339- 
34°- 
34i- 
34 2 - 

343- 

344- 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



Ixi 



{Fourth year of the 
war, 1864-1865.) 

{Lincoln's Ad- 
ministration — 
continued?) 



345. Fourth and last year of the war; planning the " Ham- 

mering Campaign." 

346. The battles of the Wilderness ; Petersburg. 

347. Captain Winslow and the Alabama; Early's raid. 

348. Sheridan's raid in the Shenandoah Valley. 

349. The Petersburg mine ; Sheridan's ride. 

350. The war in the West ; Sherman's advance to Atlanta. 

351. Sherman takes Atlanta ; Farragut enters Mobile Bay. 

352. Sherman's march from Atlanta to the sea. 

353. Thomas and Hood. 

354. Sherman at Savannah ; his message to the President; 

his advance northward. 

355. The end of the war; what the war cost; murder of the 

President. 

356. The North and the South in the war. 

357. Summary of the fourth and last year of the war, April, 

1864, to April, 1865. 



Seventh Period. — Reconstruction; the New Nation. 

Present Time.) 

{Johnson. See note 1, page 335.) 



(1865 TO the 



XVII. 

Johnson's 
Administration. 
(Part of one 
term, 

1865-1869.) 



XVIII. 
Grant's 

Administration. 
(Two terms, 
1869-1877.) 



358. 

359- 
360. 

361. 
362. 

363- 



364. 
365. 



Task of reconstruction ; the grand review ; disbanding 

the armies. 
What the war settled. 

The President's proclamation of pardon ; the President 

and Congress. 
Congress and the Southern States. 

Six states re-admitted ; negro legislators and " carpet- 
baggers." 

Congress impeaches the President ; the President's proc- 
lamation of full and unconditional pardon ; the three 
amendments to the Constitution. 

The Atlantic cable. 

Alaska ; payment of the national debt. 
Summary of Johnson's presidency. 



{Grant. See note 1, page 306, section on the Civil IVar, and 
note i,page 344.) 

367, 368. The Pacific Railroad ; what railroads and telegraphs 
have done for the Union ; effect of the Pacific Rail- 
road on commerce with Asia, and on the growth of the 
Far West ; liberal land laws ; the Homestead Bill and 
effects ; Western farms. 

369. Completion of reconstruction ; the Force Bill ; the 

Weather Bureau ; great fires ; " Rings." 

370. The new Coinage Act ; the business panic of 1873 ; tne 

Centennial Exhibition ; the electric light ; the tele- 
phone. 

371. Treaty with Great Britain ; the Alabama ; Indian wars. 

372. Summary of Grant's presidency. 



lxii TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



XXIII. 

Harrison's 

Administration. 

(1889-1893.) 



XXIV. 
Cleveland's 
(second) 

Administration. 
(1893-1897.) 



XIX. 
Hayes's 

Administration. 
(One term, 
1877-1881.) 

XX., XXI. 
Garfield and 
Arthur's Ad- 
ministrations. 
(One term, 
1881-1885.) 



XXII. 
Cleveland's 
Administration. < 
(One term, 
1885-1889.) 



(Hayes. See note i,page 353.) 

373. Withdrawal of troops from the South ; railroad and coal 

strikes. 

374. Deepening the mouth of the Mississippi. (Results.) 

375. " Greenbacks " and gold ; the national debt. 

376. Summary of Hayes's presidency. 

(Garfield and Arthur. See note 1, page 356.) 

377. Assassination of the President ; Civil Service Reform. 

378. Overflow of the Mississippi ; the East River Suspension 

Bridge ; cheap postage ; the Alien Contract Labor Act. 

379. The New Orleans Exhibition ; the " New South." 

380. 381. Progress in the South ; manufactures ; the cotton 

crop ; the freedmen ; education. (Horace Greeley.) 
382. Summary of Garfield and Arthur's presidencies. 



(Cleveland. See note i,page 363.) 



383. 
384. 



385. 
386. 

387. 



I 389. 



Progress in Civil Service Reform. 

The " Knights of Labor " ; the " Black List " ; the " Boy- 
cott " ; the American Federation of Labor ; the Depart- 
ment of Labor. 

The Year of Strikes ; the Chicago Anarchists. 

Great Corporations and " Trusts " ; political questions ; 
disasters. 

The Statue of Liberty. . . 

Four important laws. (1, Succession to the presidency; 

2, counting the electoral votes ; 3, interstate commerce ; 

4, Chinese immigration.) 
Summary of Cleveland's presidency. 



(Harrison. See note 2, page 371.) 

390. Oklahoma. (Oklahoma City and Guthrie.) 

The Washington Centennial ; the Johnstown disaster. 
The Congress of the three Americas ; six new states ; 
the new war ships ; woman suffrage (or right to vote) 
in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. 
The new Pension Act ; the Sherman Silver Act ; the 

McKinley Protective Tariff. 
The Census of 1890; the Patent Office Centennial; the 
Immigration Act ; the Homestead strike ; extension 
of Civil Service Reform. 
Summary of Harrison's Presidency. 



39i 
39 2 



393- 



394- 



395- 



(Clevelaitd, second presidency. See note i,page 363.) 



396. 
397- 



i 399- 



The Australian Ballot. 

The Columbian Exposition ; " Hard Times " ; repeal of 
two important acts ; the Behring Sea case. 

The Coxey " Industrial Army " ; the Pullman strike ; 
more " hard times " ; Republic of Hawaii. 

The Wilson Tariff ; important extension of Civil Service 
Reform in 1894. 



TOPICAL ANALYSIS. 



Ixiii 



{Cleveland 's 
Administration 
— continued?) 



400. The Atlanta Exhibition; the admission of Utah, and 

the " New West." 

401. The Venezuela Question and the general treaty of arbi- 

tration ; the presidential election of 1896 (Note). 

402. Summary of Cleveland's second presidency. 



XXV. 
McKinley's 
Administration. 
(1897-1901.) 



f (McKinley. See note 1, page 383.) 

403. Inaugural address ; the Dingley Tariff . 

404. Enormous increase in exports ; Grant's tomb ; the Con- 

gressional Library Building. 

405. "Greater New York"; the growth and government of 

American cities. 

406. Revised State Constitutions in the South (negro suffrage) 

and in the West {initiative and referendum). 

407. Spanish possessions in the sixteenth century. 

408. The Revolution in Cuba ; War for Independence. 

409. Demands made on Spain by the United States ; reforms 



granted by Spain. 



410. 



411. 



413- 
414. 
415. 

416. 

417- 
418. 

419. 



420. 



report of the Court of 



The destruction of the Mai?n 
Inquiry. 

The President's message ; resolutions adopted by Con- 
gress. 

412. Preparation for war with Spain ; call for volunteers ; for 
money ; the navy ; war declared. 
The Battle of Manila. 

Cervera's squadron ' ; bottled up " ; Hobson's exploit. 
Fighting near Santiago : Roosevelt's £i Rough Riders " : 

destruction of Cervera's squadron. 
The end of the war. 

Annexation of Hawaii ; Treaty of Peace. 
The cost of the war in money and life ; work of the " Red 

Cross" and of the women of America. 
The " Trans-Mississippi Exposition " ; cheap lands ; agri- 
cultural prosperity ; the preservation of forests ; Na- 
tional wealth. 

General summary. (1, Growth of the Republic ; extent ; 
2, advantages ; 3, what America means ; 4, the great 
question.) 



INDEX. 



Abolition societies formed, 244. 
Acadia, 131, 132, 139. 
Acadians, expulsion of the, 139. 
Acts of Congress, see Laws. 
Acts of Parliament, important, 64, 152, 154, 
156, 158. 

Adams, John, sketch of life of, 204 (note 2). 

mentioned, 167, 168, 189, 204. 

presidency, 204. 
Adams, J. Q., sketch of life of, 234 (note 2). 

presidency, 234. 

on right of petition, 244. 

on fugitive slave law, 274. 
Adams, Samuel, 155, 157, 158, 160, 160 

(note 1), 161. 
Admiral, title of, given, 308 (note 1), 392. 
Agricultural colleges, 362 (note 2), 400. 
Agriculture, colonial, 47, 145, 146. 

at the South, 361. 

at the West, 271, 272, 278, 346, 347, 381, 
384, 399. 400. 

prosperity of, 346, 347, 399, 400. 
Agriculture, department of, 373. 
Alabama, 230, 288. 
Alabama, the, built, 303. 

sunk, 324. 

claims settled, 352. 
Alaska, purchased, 342. 

gold found in, 343. 
Albany (Fort Orange), settled, 69. 
Albany Convention, the (1754), 137. 
Albion, New, 35. 
Alien and Sedition laws, the, 205. 
Alien Contract Labor Act, 359. 
Allen, Ethan, takes Ticonderoga, 162. 
Amendments to the Constitution, the first 
ten, 194. 

the nth and 12th, 194 (note 5). 

the 13th, 315, 338, 341. 

the 14th, 339, 341, 343 (note 4). 

the 15th, 341. 
Amendments to the Constitution and the 

negro, 341, 343. 
America discovered by the Northmen, 3. 

discovered by Columbus, 15. 

continent of, discovered by Cabot, 19. 

origin of the name, '20, 21. 

how found to be a continent, 22. 

white settlers in 1600, 39. 

what it was found to be, 39. 

wherein superior to Europe, 39, 40. 



America, Gladstone on, 40. 

effects of the discovery of, on Europe, 
47-49- 

geography of, in relation to history, 

40, 50. 
England's need of, 52. 
first permanent English and French 

colonies in, 54, 56. 
thought to be less than 200 miles broad, 

55- 

first law-making assembly in, 60. 

Dutch settlements in, 68, 69. 

English settlements in, 54, 74, 75, 80, 
83, 96, 99, 104, 109, 112, 114, 119, 124. 

French settlements in, 54, 56, 130. 

Spanish settlements in, 16, 25, 27, 33. 

Swedish settlements in, 112. 

English explorations in, 18, 33-36. 

French explorations in, 28, 126-131. 

Spanish explorations in, 15, 25-27, 28-31. 
America, the struggle of the English and the 
French for, 131-142. 

early trade of, 52, 58, 59, 64, 68, 76, 82, 
86, 97, "7, 124, 143, 152. 

later and recent trade of, see Trade, 
Commerce, Exports. 

declares itself independent, 167. 

See, too, United States. 

first flag of, L78 (note 4), 182. 

a country of advantages, 401. 

means Opportunity, 402. 
American Federation of Labor, 364. 
American Party, the, 277 (note 1). 
Americas, Congress of the three, 372. 
Amerigo Vespucci, voyages of, 20, 21. 
Anarchists, the Chicago, 365. 
Anderson, Major, at Fort Sumter, 290, 294- 

296, 332. 
Andre, British spy, hanged, 183. 
Andros, Governor, 95, 102, in. 
Annexation of territory, see Territory. 
Annexation of Texas, 262. 
Anti-Federalists, 193, 195. 
Anti-Renters, 260. 

Anti-Slavery movement, 242-244, 262, 269. 
See Abolition societies, Slavery, and 
Emancipation. 
Appomattox Court House, 332. 
Apprentices, white, in Virginia, 61. 
Arbitration, 352, 379, 382. 
Arbor Day, 401. 



Ixv 



lxvi LEADING FACTS OF 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Arizona, 277 (note 1). 
Arkansas, 249, 297, 339 (note 3). 
Army, in the Revolution, 163, 164, 170. 

in the Civil War, 296, 299, 300 (note 2), 
332 (note 1). 

review of, at close of the war, 335, 336. 

disbanding the Union, 336. 

in the war with Spain, 390-395. 

standing, 398, 402 (note 2). 
Arnold, expedition against Quebec, 165. 

at Saratoga, 178. 

treason of, 183, 184. 
Art, American, 251. 
Arthur, presidency of, 356. 
Articles of Confederation, 189, 192 (note 1). 
Ashburton Treaty, 259. 
Astor, John J., 210. 
Astoria, 210. 
Atlanta, growth of, 361. 

exhibition, 381. 
Atlantic (" Sea of Darkness "), 2. 
Atlantic Telegraph Cable, 341. 
Audubon, 252. 

Australian, or secret ballot, 377. 
Authors, American, 149, 167, 251, 252, 275. 

Bacon's rebellion, 65. 

laws, 65, 66. 
Bainbridge, 208. 
Balboa discovers the Pacific, 26. 
Ballot, Australian, or secret, 377. 
Baltimore founded, 107. 

in the Civil War, 296. 
Baltimore, Lord, 104-107. 
Bancroft, 252. 

Bank, the U. S., established, 198. 

Jackson ends the U. S., 245. 
Banks, General, 311, 312, 312 (note 2). 
Banks, the " Pet Banks," and worthless, 
254, 255. 

National, established, 255 (note 1). 
Baptists forbidden to preach in Massachu- 
setts, 88. 

establish the first Baptist church in 
America, 109. 
Battle of Antietam, or Sharpsburg, 313. 
Atlanta, 327. 

Ball's Bluff, 302 (note 1). 

Bennington, 176, 177. 

Brandywine, 177. 

Buena Vista, 267. 

Bull Run, or Manassas (1st), 300. 

Bull Run, or Manassas (2d), 313. 

Bunker Hill, 163. 

Camden (1st), 183 ; (2d), 186. 

Cedar Creek, 325. 

Cerro Gordo, 268. 

Chancellorsville, 316. 

Chapultepec, 268. 

Charleston, 183, 331. 

Chickamauga, 320. 

Chippewa, 221. 

Churubusco, 268 (note 2). 

Cold Harbor, 323. 

Concord, 161. 

Constitution and the Guerriere, 218. 
Contreras, 268 (note 2). 
Corinth, 314. 
Cowpens, 184. 



Battle of Crown Point, 163. 
Dallas, 326. 
El Caney, 394. 
Eutaw Springs, 186. 
Fair Oaks, or Seven Pines, 311. 
Flamborough Head (Paul Jones), 182. 
Fort Donelson, 306. 
Fort Duquesne, 137, 139. 
Fort Henry, 306. 
Fort McAllister, 330. 
Fort McHenry, 223. 
Fort Moultrie, 166. 
Fort Sumter, 295. 
Fort Washington, 171. 
Franklin, 330. 
Fredericksburg, 313. 
Germantown, 178. 
Gettysburg, 316. 
Goldsboro', 331. 
Greensboro', 185. 
Guilford Court House, 185. 
Horseshoe Bend (Tohopeka), 221. 
Island No. 10, 307. 
Kearsarge and the Alabama, 324. 
Kenesaw Mountain, 326. 
King's Mountain, 183. 
Lake Champlain, 222. 
Lake Erie, 220. 

Las Guasimas, or Siboney, 394. 
Lexington, 161. 
Long Island, 170, 171. 
Lookout Mountain, 321. 
Louisburg, 132-134. 
Lundy's Lane, 221. 
Malvern Hill, 312 (note 2). 
Manila (1st), 391, 392; (2d), 395; (3d), 
397- 

Missionary Ridge, 320. 
Mobile Bay, 327. 
Molino del Rey, 268. 
- Monitor and Merrimac, 304. 
Monmouth, 181. 
Monterey, 266. 
Murfreesboro', 314. 
Nashville, 3 19. 

New Orleans (1815), 223 ; (1862), 309. 

Palo Alto, 266. 

Pea Ridge, 314. 

Peninsular Campaign, 311, 312 

Perryville, 314. 

Petersburg (Mine), 325. 

Petersburg, 331. 

Pittsburg Landing, or Shiloh, 307. 
Port Hudson, 319. 
Princeton, 175. 

Quebec (1759), 140, 141; (i775\ 165. 
Resaca, 326. 

Resaca de la Palma, 266. 
San Antonio, 268 (note 2). 
San Juan, 394. 
Santiago, 394. 
Saratoga, 178-180. 
Savannah, 182, 330. 
Seminoles, 227.. 

Seven Days around Richmond, 312. 
Shenandoah Valley, 325. 
Siboney, 394. 

Spottsylvania Court House, 323 
Stony Point, 182. 



INDEX. 



lxvii 



Battle of Ticonderoga, 162, 176. 

Tippecanoe, 216. 

Tohopeka, 220. 

Trenton, 173. 

Tripoli, 208. - 

Vera Cruz, 267. 

Vicksburg, 317-319. 

Wilderness, 323. 

Williamsburg, 311. 

Wilson's Creek, 302 (note 1). 

Winchester, 326. 

Yorktown, 186-188, 311. 
Beauregard, General, 295, 299, 300. 
Behring Sea case, 378. 
Bell, Professor, 351. 
Benton, Thomas H., 245. 
Berkeley, Sir William, 62-64, 66. 
Bible, Eliot's Indian, 89. 
Bicycle, effect of the, 375 (note 3). 
Bienville, 130. 
Bill of Rights, 194. 
Black Hawk, 250. 
Black List, 364. 
Blanco, General, 389. 
Bland Silver Bill, 355 (note 3). 
Blockade runners, 303. 
Blockade, the, in the Civil War, 302. 
Bonds, Government. 349 (note 3), 391. 
Books, American, 251. 
Boone, Daniel, 199. 
Boston, settlement of, 84, 85. 

in 1763, 143. 

" Writs of Assistance " at, 153. 
" Massacre," 156. 
"Tea Party," 158. 
port of, closed, 158. 
siege of, 162. 

evacuated by the British, 166. 
Boundaries of the U. S., see Table in 
Appendix. 

Boundary disputes, 108 ; and see above 

Table. 
Boycott, 364. 
Braddock's defeat, 138. 
Bradford, Governor of Plymouth, 81. 
Bragg, General, 314, 320. 
Breadstuffs, exports of, 383, 384, 400. 
Bridge, the St. Louis, 354. 

the East River, or Brooklyn, 358. 
Brooklyn, 291, 358, 385. 
Brown, John, 281 (note 1). 

in Kansas, 280. 

raid of, and execution, 285, 286. 
Brown, John, Song, the, 286. 
Bryan, William J., Hon., 382, 383 (notes). 
Bryant, W. C, 251. 
Buchanan, Captain, 304. 
Buchanan, James, sketch of life of, 2S2 
(note 1). 

presidency, 282. 
Buckner, General, 307. 
Buell, General, 307, 314. 
Bunker Hill Monument, 234. 
Burgesses, House of" in Va., 60. 
Burgoyne, General, 163. 

expedition, 176, 177. 
Burke, Edmund, 154. 
Burnside, General, 313, 325. 
Burr, Aaron, 212. 



Business Combinations and " Trusts," 367. 
Butler, General, and the " Contrabands," 
298. 

at New Orleans, 308, 309. 

Cabeza De Vaca, 28, 30. 
Cabinet, the first, 196. 

Lincoln's, 293 (note 1). 
members of, now, 370 (note 1). 
Cabot discovers the continent of America, 
19. 

Calhoun, sketch of life of, 247 (note 2). 

in public life, 247, 274, 276. 
California, named, 35 (note 2). 

conquest of, 267. 

gold found in, 269, 284. 

emigration to, 270. 

Vigilance Committee in, 271. 

admitted to the Union, 275. 
Canada settled, 56. 
Canal, the Erie, 235, 236. 
Canals and the West, 249. 
Canonicus, 82. 

Capital, combinations and " trusts," 366, 367. 
Carolina, North, settled, 113, 114. 

South, settled, 114. 

Constitution of the Carolinas, 115 

trade in rice and indigo, 116, 117. 

cotton first exported from, 359. 

nullification in S. C, 247. 

secession of S. C, 288. 

negro rule in S. C, 339. 
Carpenters' Hall, 159. 
" Carpet Baggers," 339. 
Carrier's explorations, 28. 
Carver, Governor, 80, 81. 
Catholics, the, in England, 77, 79 (note 2), 
103 (note 5). 

emigrate to Maryland, 63, 103. 

establish the first Catholic church in 
the colonies, 104. 

grant religious freedom to all Christians, 
105. 

number of, in the colonies, 143, and 143 
(note 5). 

are deprived of their rights in Mary- 
land, 105, 106. 

regain their rights at the Revolution, 
107. 

not allowed to vote in R. I., in. 
excluded from Georgia, 125. 
early missionaries in the West, 126, 127. 
Cattle and sheep ranches, 347, 381, 384. 

export of, 383, 384. 
Cavaliers in Virginia, 63. 
Census Reports, 1790-1890, see Table of 

Population in Appendix. 
Census, the first (1790), 198. 
Centennial (1890), 375. 
j Centennial Exhibition (1876), 350. 
other centennials, 372, 375. 
Cervera, Admiral, 392, 394. 
! Chambersburg, burning of, 325. 
Champlain, the explorer, 56, 67, 69. 
Charleston, S. C, 115, 117, 143, 368. 
j Charter, definition of a, 25 (note 3). 
! Charter Oak, the, 103. 
j Charters, colonial, 52, 53, 57, 94, in, 144. 
' Chase, Secretary, 333. 



lxviii LEADING FACTS OF 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Chatham, Lord, 139, 154, 155. 
Chattanooga, siege of, 320. 
Cherry Valley, N. Y., 181. 
Chicago, 134, 251, 365. 
Chinese immigration, 370. 
Christian commission, the, 333. 
Church, attendance at, required, 58, 147. 
Cincinnati, 199, 291, 358 (note 1), 372 (note 2). 
Cities, colonial, 143. 

growth of American, 291, 371, 386. 

government of, 386. 
City, the oldest in the U. S., 33. 
Civil Rights Bill, 338 (notes 2, 3). 
Civil Service, number employed in the, 357 

(note 1), 381 (note 1). 
Civil Service Reform, 357, 363, 376, 380, 381. 
Civil War, the, began (see War and Battles), 
295. 

Clark's victories in the West, i8t. 
Clay, Henry, 230, 249, 274, 276. 
Clayborne and Ingle, 105, 106. 
Cleveland, Grover, sketch of life of, 363 
(note 1). 

first presidency, 363. 

second presidency, 377. 
Codfishing (and see Fisheries), 86. 
Coinage (see, too, Dollar, Silver), 198, 349, 

355 (note 3), 373. 
College, Harvard, founded, 89. 
Colleges, agricultural, 362 (note 2), 400. 
Colleges mentioned, 89 (note 2). 
Colonies, Dutch, 67. 

English, 51, 52. 

French, 31, 56. 

Spanish, 33. 

Swedish, 111. 

condition of the thirteen, in 1763, 142- 

population of, 142. 
language, religion, 143. 
society in, 143. 

relations with the Indians, see Indians, 
cities of, 143, 146. 
trade, 143. 

commerce, 64, 116, 117, 125, 143, 152. 

government of, 144. 

law, 144, 148. 

manufactures in, 144. 

agriculture, 145, 146. 

life among the farmers, 145. 

life on plantations, 146. 

travel and hospitality, 147. 

severe laws, 148. 

mails and postage, 148. 

education and books, 149. 

shipbuilding, 144. 

slavery in the, 142. 

unity of the people of the, 144. 

England's policy toward the, 144. 

independent character of the, 145. 

rattlesnake flag : "Don't tread on me," 

resist taxation without representation, 
154-158. 

declare themselves independent, 159. 
Colorado, 284, 346, 352. 
Columbia River named, 210. 
Columbia, S. C, burned, 331. 
Columbus, birth, voyages, and death, 1-1S. 



Commerce, colonial, 116, 117, 125, 143, 152. 

later, 359, 383. 384, 399- 

restrictions on, 64, 125, 152, 211. 

embargo on, 211. 

reopened with England, 215. 

See Exports and Trade. 
Committees of Correspondence, 159, 160 
(note 1). 

" Common Sense," Paine's, 166. 
Compact, the Pilgrim, 79. 
Compromise, definition of, 230 (note 2). 

measures of 1850, 273. 

Missouri, the, 239. 
Compromises of the Constitution, 192. 
Confederacy, the New England of 1643, 90. 

the Southern, 288, 297. 
Confederation, articles of, 189, 192 (note 1). 
Congress, the Albany (colonial), 137. 

first Continental, 122, 159. 

second, the, 162. 

of the Confederation, 189. 

of the three Americas, 372. 

Acts of, in general, see Laws. 
Congressional Library, 385. 
Connecticut settled, 98. 

Constitution of, 100. 

extent of, under its charter, 102. 

Andros and the charter, 102, 103. 
Constitution, the first American, 100. 

of Virginia, 60. 

the " Grand Model," 115. 

Pilgrim compact, 79. 

of Pennsylvania (.the "Great Law"), 
120. 

the first U. S. (Articles of Confedera- 
tion), 189. 

necessity of framing a new Constitution, 
191. 

the second framed and adopted (and see 
Appendix), 191-193. 

Great Compromises of the, 192. 

what the new Constitution accom- 
plished, 193, 194. 

Amendments to the, 194, 315, 338, 339, 
34i. 343- 

the, denounced by Garrison, 243 (note 
1). 

Constitutio?i, the, and the Giiemere, 218. 
Constitutions, State, revised, 386, 387. 

See Reconstruction. 
" Contrabands," fugitive slaves, 298. 
Cooper, 251. 

Cornwallis, General, 166 (note 1), 170-172, 

174, 175, 183-186. _ 
Coronado's expedition, 29. 
Corporations and " Trusts," 366. 
Cotton, first exported, 201, 359. 

gin invented, 200-202. 

exhibition at New Orleans, 359. 

manufacture first established, 359. 

effect of War of 1812 on manufacture, 

361. ! % 

increased production of, 361. 
Cotton-seed oil, 361. 
Coxey " industrial army," 379. 
Croatoan, 38. 
Crystal Palace (1853), 277. 
Cuba, discovered by Columbus, 16. 

conquered by the Spaniards, 25. 



INDEX. 



Ixix 



Cuba, United States attempts to purchase, 
388. 

and the Ostend Manifesto, 388. 
revolutions in, 388, 389. 
Cleveland on condition of, 388. 
McKinley on condition of, 389. 
war in, 388. 

starvation of Cuban farmers, 389. 

destruction of the Maine in Havana 
harbor, 389. 

evacuated by Spanish forces, 398. 

becomes a dependency of the U. S., 396. 
Cumberland Road (National Road), 231, 232. 
Custer, General, killed, 352. 

Dale, Governor in Va., 57. 
Dare, Virginia, birth of, 38. 
Davenport, Rev. John, 101. 
Davis, Captain John, voyages of, 34. 
Davis, Jefferson, in the Mexican War, 267. 
in Congress, 276. 

President of the Confederate States, 
289, 312. 

capture of, 331. 
Debt of the Revolution, 197. 

of the Civil War, 332, 343. 

payment of, 343, 344. 

reduction of interest on, 356. 
Debts, State (1837), 2 53> 2 54 (note 1). 
Decatur, 208. 

Declaration of Independence (and see Ap- 
pendix), 167, 168. 
Declaration of Rights, 159 (note 1). 
Declaratory Act, 156. 

Deerfield, Mass., burned by the Indians, 132. 
De Gourgue's revenge, 33. 
De Grasse, 187. 
De Kalb, 175, 183. 
Delaware, Lord, 57. 

Delaware settled by the Swedes, in, 112. 

seized by the Dutch, 112. 

seized by the English, 112. 

granted to William Penn, 112. 

first state to enter the Union, 113. 
Delaware, Washington's retreat across the, 

i73- 

Democrats (see Political Parties), 206, 258 

(note 3). 
Denver, 292, 346. 
"Department Stores," 367. 
De Soto, expedition of, 29. 

discovers the Mississippi, 30. 

is buried in it, 31. 
Detroit, 134, 202, 218, 291. 
Dewey, Admiral, 309, 391, 392, 395, 397. 
Disasters, and what they teach, 368, 372. 
Discoveries, scientific, 150, 261, 375 (note 3). 
" Dixie," song of, 324. 
Dollar, see Coinage, Mint, Silver. 
Dorchester Heights (South Boston), 165. 
Dorr Rebellion, the, 259. 
" Doughfaces," 231 (note 2). 
Douglas, Stephen A., 278, 279. 
Drafting at the South, 320. 
Draft Riots in N. Y., 320. 
Drake, voyage of, 35. 
Dred Scott case, 282. 

Dress, change in men's (1801), 206 (note 3). 
Drinking habits of early times, 239. 



Dustin, Mrs. Hannah, 132. 
Dutch in New Netherland (New York), 68- 
74- 

claim N. J., 75. 

unite to get Conn., 90. 

seize the Delaware Country, 112. 

driven out by the English, 112. 

driven out of New Netherland, 74. 

Eads's, Captain, work on the Mississippi, 
354- 

Early s raid, 324, 325. 

Earth, ideas about the, in time of Columbus, 
1, 2. 

countries of, known in time of Colum- 
bus, 1, 2. 
Earthquake, the Charleston, 368. 
Eccentric Lathe, 262 (note 1). 
Edmonds-Tucker law, 257 (note 1). 
Education in New England, 88. 

Governor Berkeley on, in Va., 62 (note 1) 

in the colonies generally, 149. 

in the Northwest Territory, 191. 

in the West, 400. 

at the South since the war, 362. 

free, in America, 402. 

See, too, Schools and Colleges. 
Edwards, Rev. Jonathan, 149. 
Election, the disputed (Hayes vs. Tilden), 

353 (note 1). 
Electoral Commission, 353 (note 1). 

Count Act, 370. 
Electricity, Franklin's discoveries in, 150. 

present uses of, 150, 260, 341, 351. 
Electric telegraph, the, 260, 341. 
Eliot, Rev. John, 89. 

translates the Bible into the Indian 
tongue, 89. 

Emancipation proclamation, Fremont's, 299 
(note 4). 

petitions for, 244. 
Lincoln's proclamation of, 314. 
Embargo, the, 211. 
Emerson, 252. 

Emigration to the United States, 257, 346, 
37o, 376- 

to the West, 199, 231, 232, 250, 270, 346. 

from China, 370. 

to California, 270. 

laws concerning, 359. 

See, too, Immigration. 
Endicott, Governor, 83. 

cuts the cross out of the English flag, 83. 
England's need of America, 52 

general policy toward the colonies, 144. 

See, too, Colonies. 
English explorations, early, 18, 33-36. 

attempts to colonize America, 36. 

plant permanent colonies in, 54. 

number of, in the colonies, 143. 

emigrants, 257. 
" Era of Good Feeling," 226. 
Ericsson, Leif, in America, 3. 
Ericsson's, Captain, inventions, 305 (note 2). 
Erie Canal, completion and effects of, 235, 
236. 

Ether, Dr. Morton's discovery concerning, 
261. 

Exeter, N. H., 97. 



LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Exhibition, the World's Fair (1853), 277. 

the Centennial (1876), 350. 

See, too, Centennial. 

Ohio, 372 (note 2). 

New Orleans, 359, 360. 

Atlanta, 381. 

World's Columbian, 378. 

Omaha, 398, 399. 
Exports, colonial, 58, 64, 86, 117, 143, 152. 

restrictions on, 64, 152. 

embargo on, 211. 

enormous increase in our, 383, 384, 399 
See, too, Trade and Commerce. 
Express system established, 250. 

Faneuil Hall, 155. 

Farmer's Alliance, 376. 

Farming, see Agriculture. 

Farragut takes New Orleans, 308-310. 

enters Mobile Bay, 327. 

is made admiral, 308 (note 1). 

sketch of life of, 308 (note 1). 
Federalists, the, 195, 206. 
Field, Cyrus W., 341. 
" Fifty-four-forty or fight," 264. 
Fillmore's presidency, 275. 
Fires, great, 249, 348. 
Fisheries, 143, 352 (note 2). 
Fitch, John, 212 (note 6). 
Flag, colonial, the (rattlesnake flag), 145. 

first American, 178 (note 4). 

first American, on a war-ship, 182. 

the "Star Spangled Banner" (song), 
223 (note 2). 

rally for the, 296. 

hoisted in triumph over Sumter, 332. 
"Rally round the flag, bo3's " (song), 
3*9- 

number of stars on the, now, 373. 

Confederate, 289 (and note 3). 

the Stars and Stripes hoisted at Havana, 

397- 

Union and Confederate veterans fight 
under, 398. 
Florida, discovery and naming of, 26. 
Narvaez in, 28. 
De Soto in, 29. 

French and Spaniards struggle for, 3 1- 
33- 

purchased by the United States, 227. 

admitted to the Union, 272. 
Foodstuffs, export of, 383, 384, 400. 
Foodstuffs found in America, 48. 
Foote, Commodore, 306. 
" Force Act," 348, 378. 
Forests, preservation of, 400, 401. 
Fort Dearborn (Chicago), 251. 

Fort Donelson, 306. 

Fort Duquesne, 137-139. 

Fort Henry, 306. 

Fort Lee, 170, 172. 

Fort McAllister, 330. 

Fort McHenry, 223. 

Fort Monroe, 297, 299, 304, 308, 311, 
331 (note 1), 391. 

Fort Moultrie, 166. 

Fort Necessity, 137. 

Fort Niagara, 139. 

Fort Orange (Albany), 69. 



Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh), 139. 

Fort Sumter, 290, 294, 295, 332. 

Fort Ticonderoga, 162, 176. 

Fort Washington, 170, 171. 
Forts, line of French, 131-134. 
France sends expedition to America, 27. 

colonies of, in America, 31-33, 56. 

explorations by, in America, 126-131. 

struggle of, with England for America, 
131-142. 

recognizes American independence, 

179. 

aid given bv, in the Revolution, 179, 

180, 187, 188. 
disputes with, 198, 199, 204, 215. 
war with, 204. 
sells us Louisiana, 208, 209. 
statue of Liberty given by people of, 

368, 369. 
See, too, French. 
Franklin, sketch of life of, 133 (note 3). 
writings of, 149. 
electrical experiments of, 150. 
snake (Albany Convention), 137/ 
and the Stamp Act, 154. ' 
letter to Strahan, 164. 
and the Declaration of Independence, 

168. 

negotiates treaty with France, 179. 

obtains money in aid of the Revolution, 
179 (note 3). 

fits out war-ships, 182. 

helps frame the Constitution, 191, 192. 
Freedmen, the, 314, 338-341, 381, 385. 

progress made by the, 361, 362, 381 

suffrage of, restricted, 386. 

See, too, Negroes, Reconstruction, and 
Amendments to the Constitution. 
Free Soilers (see Political Parties), 269. 
Free Trade (1846-1861), 246 (note 1). 

See Tariff. 

" Free Trade and Sailors' Rights " (War of 

1812), 217. 
Fremont, sketch of life of, 299 (note 4). 
conquers California, 267. 
proclamation of emancipation, 299 (note 
4)- 

army of, 312 (note 2). 
French, the, explore the St. Lawrence, 
27, 28. 

the, in Carolina and Florida, 31-33. 
found Quebec, 56. 

explore and take possession of the West, 
126-131. 

found Mobile and New Orleans, 130. 

build forts at Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, 
and Natchez, 134. 

and Indian Wars, 131-142. 

See, too, France and Huguenots. 
Friends, the (Quakers), persecuted in New 
Netherland, 73. 

peculiarities of the, gr, 92. 

persecuted in Massachusetts, 91-93. 

buy New Jersey, 75. 

relations with the Indians, 76, 121. 

the, in Delaware, 113. 

found Pennsylvania, 118. 

See, too, William Penn. 
Frobisher's voyages, 33. 



INDEX. 



Ixxi 



Fugitive slave law, under the New England 
Confederacy (1643), go (note 1). 

in the North West Territory, 191. 

provision for, in the Constitution, 274. 

act of 1793, 274 (note 1). 

act of 1850, 274, 275. 

resistance to the, 275, 276. 

See, too, Slavery. 
Fulton's steamboat, 212, 213. 
Fur trade, the, 68, 96, 143, 210. 

Gadsden purchase (1853), 277 (note 1). 
Gage, General, 158, 163, 164 (note 2), 166. 
Gag rules in Congress, 244. 
Garfield, sketch of life of, 356 (note 1). 

presidency, 356. 

assassinated, 356. 
Garrison publishes the Liberator, 242. 

denounces the Constitution, 243 (note 1). 

mobbed, 243. 
Gas, natural, 285. 

nitrous oxide in dentistry, 262 (note 1). 
Gaspee, the, destroyed, 156. 
Gates, General, 178 (and note 5), 183. 
Genet, " Citizen," 198, 199. 
Geography, influence of, on history of U. S., 

40, 50, 51. 
George III., 152, 153, 188, 189. 
Georgia, settlement of, 122-124. 

restrictions on the colony, 124, 125. 

natural resources of, 126. 
Germans in the colonies, 122 (note 1), 124, 
i43- 

in the Revolution, 167 (note 3), 173, 175. 

immigrants, 257 (note 3). 
Gilbert, voyage of Sir H., 34. 
Goffe, the regicide, tradition concerning, 102 
(note 2). 

"Gold Democrats " (see Political Parties), 

383 (note 1). 
Gold, supposed finding of, in Va., 56. 

discovered in California. 269. 

effects of discovery of, 270, 271, 284. 

found in Alaska, 343. 

U. S. Government resumes payments 
iu, 355, 356. 
Gomez, General, 389. 
Gorges, Sir F., 96. 
Gosnold's expedition, 51. 
Governments, colonial (see Colonies), 144. 

of cities, 386. 

See Articles of Confederation ; the Con- 
stitution ; the United States ; and State 
Constitutions. 
" Grand Model," the, 115. 
Grant, General, sketch of life of, 306 (note 1). 
"unconditional surrender" letter, 307. 
takes Fort Donelson and Fort Henry, 
.3°7- 

victory of Pittsburg Landing, 307. 
moves against Vicksburg, 314. • 
takes Vicksburg, 317-319. 
made General-in-chief, 320. 
and Sherman's " hammering campaign," 
322, 323- 

in battles of the Wilderness, 323. 
sends Sheridan to lay waste the Shenan- 
doah Valley, 325. 
takes Petersburg, 33 r. 



Grant, General, in Richmond, 331. 

receives Lee's surrender, 332. 

and Lee, 337. 

presidency, 344. 

tomb of, 385. 
" Great Law," Penn's, 120. 
" Greenbacks " in the Civil War, 355. 

become equal to gold, 355, 356. 
Greene, General (Revolution), at the South, 
184. 

helped by Mrs. Steele, 185. 

his campaign in the Carolinas, 184-186. 
" Green Mountain Boys," the, 162. 
Guam, island of, annexed, 396. 

" Hail Columbia " (song), 204. 

Halleck, General, 299, 305 (and note 4), 306 

Hamilton and the Constitution, 193. 

first Secretary of the Treasury, 197. 

financial policy of, 197. 

plan for paying the U. S. debt, 197. 

shot by Burr, 212. 
Hancock, General, 317. 
Hancock, John, 160, 161, 168. 
Harrison, Benjamin, presidency, 371. 

sketch of life of, 371 (note 2). 
Harrison, General W. H., at Tippecanoe, 
216. 

in War of 1812, 2 19. 

presidential campaign of, 258. 

presidency, 258. 

sketch of life of, 258 (note 1). 
Hartford Convention, the, 224. 
Hartford founded, 99. 
Harvard, John, 89. 
Harvard University founded, 89. 
Hawaii, independence of, recognized, 380. 

annexed, 395. 
Hayes, sketch of life of, 353 (note 1). 

election of, disputed, 353 (note 1). 

presidency, 353. 
Hayne, Senator, vs. Daniel Webster, 247, 
248. 

Hennepin, Father, on the Mississippi, 129. 
Henry, Patrick, 155. 
Henry, the, letters (War of 1812), 216. 
Hessians in the Revolution, 167 (note 3), 
I73-. 

" Higher Law," the, 275. 
Historians, American, 252. 
Hobson's exploit, 394. 
Hoe's press, 262 (note 1). 
Holmes, O. W., 252 

" Holy Experiment " of William Penn, 118. 

Homestead Act, the, 346, 399. 

Hood, General, 327, 330. 

Hooker, General, 313, 315. 

Hooker, Rev. Thomas, 99. 

Houston, Sam, 262. 

Howe, General, 163, 164, 166, 170, 176-178, 
180. 

Howe, Lord, 169, 170. 
Hudson river named, 67. 
Huguenots attempt to settle in America, 
31733- 

in Charleston, S. C, 115, 143. 

illustrious descendants of the, 115. 
Hull, Captain Isaac, victory of, 218, 219. 
Hull, General, march to Detroit, 217. 



lxxii LEADING FACTS OF 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Hull, General, surrender of, 218. 
Hutchinson, Governor, 160 (note 1). 
Hutchinson, Mrs. Anne, 87, no. 

Iberville, 130. 
Idaho, 373. 

Illinois, 191, 230, 250. 

Immigration (see Emigration), 346, 370, 
376. 

Impeachment of President Johnson, 340. 
Impressment of American sailors, 211, 217. 
Independence, Declaration of (and see Ap- 
pendix), 167. 
Independence Hall, 167, 168. 
Independent character of American colo- 
nists, 145. 
Independent Treasury system, 254. 
Indiana, 191, 230. 
Indianapolis, 291. 
Indians, why so named, 15. 

tribes of, 41 (note 1). 

mode of life, character, religion, 41-46. 

what they taught the whites, 46. 

influence of, on our history, 47. 

first taste strong drink, 67. 

Eliot's work among the, 89. 

help the English and the Colonists 
against the French, 139. 

wars with (see Wars), 88, 93, 200, 216, 
220, 227. 

treaties with, 69, 75, 81, 120, 121, 200. 
land cessions by, 120 (note 6), 200, 250. 
massacres by, in the Revolution, 181. 
See, too, Iroquois. 
Indies, trade of Europe with, in 15th cen- 
tury, 6, 7. 
schemes for reaching the, by sea, 7-9. 
America supposed to be part of the, 
15, 16. 

West Indies, why so named, 15. 
West Indies, commerce with the, 86, 
125, 152. 

Indigo culture in South Carolina, 117. 
Ingle, Captain, 106. 

Initiative, right of, in legislation, 387 (note 1). 
Internal improvements, 25S (note 3). 

See, too, Roads, Canals, Railroads. 
Interstate Commerce Act, 370. 
" Intolerable Acts," the, 158. 
Inventions, American, 200, 201 (note 1), 212, 
260, 262 (note 1), 277, 305 (note 2), 351, 
375 (and note 3). 

See, too, Bicycle, Cotton-gin, Eccentric 
Lathe, Electricity for Electric Light, 
Electric Motor, Kinetoscope, Moni- 
tor, Phonograph, Reaper and Mower, 
Revolver, Screw-propeller, Sewing- 
machine, Steamboat, Steam Printing 
Press, Telegraph, Telephone, Type- 
writer, Vulcanized Rubber. 
See, too, Discoveries. 
Iowa, 250, 273. 

Irish, the, in the colonies, 116, 122 (note 1), 
i43- 

immigrants, 257 (note 3). 
Iron and steel manufacture, 76, 384. 
Iroquois Indians (see Indians), 41, 69, 139 

176, 181. 
Irving, 251. 



Jackson, General, at Tohopeka, 220. 

at New Orleans, 223. 

and the Seminoles, 227. 

sketch of life of, 240 (note 1). 

presidency, 240. 

and Nullification, 248. 

and the Union, 248, 249. 
Jackson, " Stonewall,"' 269, 300, 301 (note 1) 

3", 313, 315. 3!6- 
Jamestown, Va., settlement of, 54. 

colony of, 54-66. 

burned by Bacon, 66. 
Japan, Perry's treaty with, 278. 
Jasper, Sergeant, 166. 
Jay, John, 197, 202. 
Jay's treaty with England, 202. 
Jefferson drafts the Declaration of Inde 
pendence, 168. 

first secretary of state, 196. 

sketch of life of, 206 (note 2). 

presidency, 206. 

purchases Louisiana, 208. 

on slavery, 214, 228. 
Jerry rescue, the, 275. 

Jesuit missionaries in the West (see Catho 
lies), 126. 

Jews not allowed to vote in R. I., in. 
Johnson, presidency, 335. 

sketch of life of, 335 (note 1). 

impeached, but acquitted, 340. 
Johnston, Gen. A. S., 305, 307. 
Johnston, Gen. Joseph E,, 299 (note 3), 301 

311 (note 3), 317, 322, 331, 334 (note 2). 
Johnston, Sir William, 139. 
Johnstown Disaster, the, 372. 
Joliet and Marquette's expedition, 127. 
Jones, Paul, 182. 

Kalb. Baron de, 175, 183. 
Kansas and Nebraska Act, 278. 
Kansas City, 291. 
Kansas, struggle for, 279-281. 

John Brown in, 280. 

enters as a free state, 2S1, 346. 

See, too, Omaha Exhibition. 
Kearsarge sinks the Alabama, 324. 
Keutucky first settled by Boone, 199. 

admitted to the Union, 203. 

and Virginia Resolutions, 205. 
Kinetoscope, 351 (note 2). 
King Philip's War, see Wars. 
Klondike gold fields, 343. 
" Know Nothing " Party (see Political Par- 
ties), 277 (note 1). 
Knox, General, 165, 197. 
Kosciusko, 175 (note). 
" Ku Klux Klan," 348. 

Labor Act, 359. 

Labor, free and slave, compared, 228. 

Knights of, 363. 

American Federation of, 364. 

disputes and strikes, 366, 368, 379. 

Department of, 365. 
Labor-saving machinery, see Machinery and 

Inventions. 
Lafayette in the Revolution, 175, 179, 186. 

visit of, in 1824, 233. 
Land cessions by certain states, 191. 



INDEX. 



lxxiii 



Land claims of certain states, 191. 
Lands, public, 346, 399. 

cheap a id free, 346, 399. 
La Salle explores the Mississippi, 128-130. 
Laudonniere's colony, 32. 
Law, John, 130. 

Laws, Colonial, how made (1763), 144. 
Laws (Colonial), The Bacon Laws, 65, 66. 

the " Judicial laws of Moses," 101 
(note 2). 

the Toleration Act in Md., 105. 

Toleration in R. I., 110. 

" Great Law" of Pa., 120. 

restrictive laws of Ga., 125. 

military rule in Va., 57. 
Laws (Acts of Parliament), Navigation Acts, 
64. IS 2 . !53- 

Stamp Act, 153, 154. 

Declaratory Act, 156. 

Duty on Tea, etc., 156, 157. 

the four " Intolerable Acts," 158. 

Act closing the port of Boston, 158. 

Act depriving the people of self-govern- 
ment, 158. 

Transportation Act, 158 (note 3). 

Quebec Act, 158 (note 3). 
Laws (U.S. and State), Religious Freedom 
Act (1785), 215 (note 1). 

Ordinance for the government of the 
North-West Territory (1787), 191. 

Tariff (1789) (and see Tariff), 197. 

Census, Mint, and U. S. Bank (1789- 
1792), 198. 

Fugitive Slave (1643-1850), see Fugi- 
tive Slave. 

Embargo and Non-Intercourse (1807- 
1809), 211. 

Importation of slaves prohibited (1807), 
214. 

Pension Acts (Revolution to Civil War), 

see Pension Acts. 
Missouri Compromise Act (1820), 230. 
National Road to the West (1825), 231. 
Erie Canal (1817-1825), 235. 
First railroad (1828), 237. 
Independent Treasury Act (1840), 255. 
Annexation of Texas (1845), 262. 
Annexation generally, see Territory. 
Compromise measures (1850), 274, 275. 
Maine Prohibitory Act (185 1), 239 

(note 1). 

Kansas- Nebraska Act (1854), 278, 279. 

National Banks established (see Na- 
tional Banks). 

Emancipation of Slaves (1865). 314. 

Amendments to the Constitution (and 
see Amendments), 341. 

Reconstruction, see Reconstruction. 

Negro legislation after the war, 339. 

Tenure of Office Act (1867), 340. 

Pre-emption laws; Homestead Act 
(1862), 346, 399. 

Force Act (1870), 348, 378. 

Establishment of the Weather Bureau 
(1870), 348. 

New Coinage Act (1873), 349. 

Bland Silver Act (1878), 355 (note 3). 

Resumption of specie payment in 1879, 
355.356. 



Laws (U. S. and State), Civil Service Re- 
form Act (1883), 357. 

Reduction of Postage Acts (1883, 1885), 
359- 

Alien Labor Contract Act (1885), 359. 
Presidential Succession Act (1886), 369. 
Electoral Count Act (1887), 370. 
Interstate Commerce Act (1887), 370. 
Acts respecting Mormons (1887), 257 
(note 1). 

Department of Labor Act (1888), 365. 
Chinese Immigration Act (1888), 370. 
Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890), 
373, 378. 

Woman Suffrage Acts, see Woman Suf- 
frage . 

Immigration Bureau established (1891), 
376. . 

Australian Ballot, see Ballot. 
Suffrage Acts, see Suffrage. 
Initiative and Referendum (1898), 387. 
War Revenue Act (1898), 391. 
Annexation of Hawaii (1898), 396. 
See, too, Territories. 
Forest Reservation Acts, see Forests 
and Arbor Day. 
Lee, General Charles (Revolution), 171-173, 
181. 

Lee, General Robert E. (Civil War), 267, 
299, 3"-3i3> 3i5-3i7, 322-324, 33*, 332, 
337- 

Lee, Richard Henry (Revolution), 64, 167. 
" Leif the Lucky" (Northman), 3, 4. 
Leopard and the Chesapeake, 211. 
Lewis and Clarke's expedition, 209, 210. 
" Liberty bell," the, 168. 
Liberty, political, in the colonies, 120. 

statue of, 368, 369. 

religious, see Religious Liberty. 
Liberator, the, published, 242, 243 (note 1). 
Lincoln, sketch of early life of, 286 (note 2). 

elected president, 286, 287. 

presidency, 293. 

inaugural speech, 293 

call for volunteers, 296. 

emancipates, the slaves, 314. 

assassination of, 332. 
Linen, manufacture, colonial, in N. H., 97. 
Literature, colonial, 149, 167. 

rise of American, 251. 

influence of " Uncle Tom's Cabin," 
275, 276. 
Livingston, Robert R., 168. 
Loans, Government, 349 (note 3), 391. 
London Company, the, 52. 
Londonderry, N. H., 97. 
Longfellow, 252. 
Longstreet, General, 323. 
Louisburg taken, 132, 133. 
Louisiana, origin of the name, 130. 

purchase of, 208, 209. 

explored by Lewis and Clarke, 209. 

admitted to the Union, 230. 

progress since the Civil War, 360. 
Lowell, city of, founded, 360. 
Lowell, Francis C, 360. 
Lowell, James Russell, 252. 
Loyalists or Tories, 166. 
Lyon, General, 299. 



lxXlV LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Macdonough's victory, 222. 
Machinery, American labor-saving,276, 351. 
changes effected by, 277, 278, 351, 375, 
384- 

exports of, 384. 

See inventions. 
Madison, sketch of life of, 215 (note 1). 

presidency, 214. 
Magellan's voyage, 23. 
Maine, settlement of, 96. 

united with Massachusetts, 95. 

admitted to the Union, 231. 

boundary dispute with England, 259, 
260. 

See, too, Table of Boundaries in Ap- 
pendix. 

prohibitory law of, 239 (note 1). 
Maine, destruction of the, 389. 
Manhattan Island purchased, 69. 
Manufactures, colonial, 76, 86, 97, 116, 124, 
143, 144- 

English restrictions on, 144. 

growth of American, 212, 224, 246, 359- 
361, 367, 381, 384. 

" Trusts " in, 367. 
" Marching through Georgia " (song), 329. 
Marco Polo's travels, 5. 
Marietta settled, 199. 
Marion, General, 115, 183, 186. 
Marquette, explorations, 127. 
Maryland settled by Catholics, 103. 

political and religious liberty in, 105. 

Catholics of, deprived of their rights, 
106. 

" Maryland, my Maryland" (song), 313. 

Mason and Dixon's line, 107. 

Mason and Gorges, 96. 

Mason and Slidell, capture of, 304. 

Massachusetts, first house built in, 51. 

(Plymouth) settled, 76. 

Bay Colony settled, 82. 

Puritan rule in, 83, 85. 

education in, 88. 

loses her charter, 94. 

becomes a royal province, 95. 
Massasoit, 81, 93, 109. 
Mayflower, sailing of the, 79. 
McClellan, General, 300, 302, 310, 311, 313. 
McCormick reaper, the, 277. 
McDowell, General, 300, 311 (note r). 
McKinley, sketch of life of, 383 (note 1). 

presidency, 383. 
Meade, General, 316. 
Menendez in Florida, 32. 
Meridian, Miss., destroyed, 321. 
Merrimac, or Virginia, destroys U. S. war- 
ships, 304. 

fight with the Monitor, 305 
Merritt, General, 392, 395. 
Mexican War, the, 265-269. 

results of, 269. 

See, too, Battles. 
Michigan, 191, 249. 
Miles, General, 395. 
Milwaukee, 291. 

Mines, see Coal, Silver, Gold, etc. 
Minister, definition of, 189 (note 3). 
Minneapolis, 291. 
Minnesota, 191, 281, 282. 



I Mint, U. S., established, 198. 

" Minute Men " (Revolution), 160. 
i Mississippi, 230. 

Mississippi River discovered, 28, 30. 

explored by the French, 127-130. 

the upper, explored, 129. 

opening of (Civil War), 320. 

deepening the mouth of, 354. 
Missouri Compromise Act, the, 230. 

repealed, 278, 279. 
Missouri admitted to the Union, 231. 
Mobile founded, 130. 

Farragut enters harbor of, 327. 
Money, Indian (wampum), 44. 

paper, of the Revolution, 174. 

just after the Revolution, 190. 

first tariff to raise (1789), 197. 

decimal system of coinage, 198. 

" Greenbacks" (Civil War), 355, 356. 

See, too, Banks, Coinage, Silver. 
Monitor and Merrimac, fight of, 304. 
Monroe, sketch of life of, 225 (note 1). 

presidency, 225. 

Doctrine, 232. 
Montana, 373. 
Montcalm, General, 140. 
Montgomery's expedition against Quebec, 
165. 

Montreal named, 28. 
Morgan, Daniel (Revolution), 178, 184. 
Morgan's raid (Civil War), 320. 
Mormons, rise of the, 255. 

emigrate to Utah, 256. 

renounce polygamy, 257 (note 1). 

See, too, Utah. 
Morris, Robert (Revolution), 173, 174, 187. 
Morristown, Washington's winter at, 175, 
184. 

Morse, Professor, sketch of life of, 260 
(note 5). 

invents the electric telegraph, 260. 
Morton, Dr., discovers that ether will con- 
trol pain, 261. 
Motley, 252. 

Moultrie, Colonel (Revolution), 166. 
Mound Builders, the, 41 (note 2). 
Mowing machine, 277. 

" Mugwumps " (see Political Parties), 363 
(note 1). 

Napoleon and the U. S., 208, 215. 
Narvaez, expedition of, 28. 
National Banks, 255 (note 1). 
National Road, 231, 232. 
Natural gas, 285. 

Navigation laws (Colonial period), 152, 164. 
Navy, U. S. (in general), 208, 218-220, 222, 
308-310, 373, 391-395. 397- 

Confederate, 303. 

our new, 373. 

See, too, Battles and Wars. 
Nebraska, 278, 342, 346 
Negro slavery, introduction of, 61. 
Negro slaves emancipated, 314, 341. 
Negroes become lawmakers, 339. 

the, and Amendments to the Constitu- 
tion, 341, 343. 
progress of, since the Civil War, 361, 
362. 



INDEX. 



lxxv 



Negroes, restriction of suffrage of, 386. 

See, too, Freedmen and Slavery. 
Neutrality, proclamation of (Washington), 
199. 

Nevada, 284, 333, 349- 

New Albion (Oregon), 35. 

New Amsterdam (New York City), 70-74. 

New England, origin of name, 68. 

Confederacy (1643), 90. 

discontent of, in 1807, 211. 

and war of 1812, 224. 
New Haven founded, 101. 
New Hampshire, settlement of, 96. 

temporarily united with Massachusetts, 
98. 

Londonderry, 97. 
New Jersey, settlement of, 75, 76. 
New Mexico, 269, 277 (note 1). 
New Netherland settled by the Dutch, 67. 

patroons in, 70, 71. 

seized by the English, 74. 

named New York, 74. 
New Orleans, 130, 134, 208, 209, 291. 

battle of (1815), 223. 

taken by Farragut, 309. 

commerce of, 355. 

cotton exhibition at, 359. 

progress since the Civil War, 355, 360. 
Newspaper, first, in America, 143 (note 6). 

first cheap, 252. 
New York seized and named by the Eng- 
lish, 74. 

in the Revolution, 155, 156, 168, 169. 
New York City founded, 69, 70. 
growth of, 73, 143, 385, 386. 
historic streets of, 73, 74. 
Washington inaugurated in, 196. 
the capitol of the U. S. in 1789, 196. 
first Congress under the Constitution 

assembles at, 196. 
and the Erie Canal, 236. 
the great commercial and money center, 

73- 

East River bridge, 358. 

Statue of Liberty, 368, 369. 

Tweed ring, 348. 

Washington centennial, 372. 

" Greater New York," 385, 386. 
Non-Intercourse Act, 211, 215 (note 2). 
North, the uprising of the (Civil War), 296, 

297. 

North Carolina, see Carolina. 
North Dakota, 373. 
North, Lord, 188. 

Northmen, America discovered by the, 2, 3. 
Northwest Territory, the, 190, 191, 200. 

Ordinance of the (1787), 191. 
Nova Scotia conquered and named, 132. 
Nullification in South Carolina, 245-249. 

See, too, Va. and Ky. Resolutions, 200. 

Oath of allegiance (Colonial), 90 (note 2). 

of office, the President's, 196. 

reconstruction, 338. 
Oglethorpe colonizes Georgia, 122-124, 126. 
Ohio Company, the, 135. 
Ohio, part of the Northwest Territory, 191. 

first settlement of, 199, 200. 

admitted to the Union, 209. 



Oil wells discovered, 284, 285. 

Standard Oil Company organized, 367. 
Oklahoma, opening of, 371. 
" Old North Church" (Revolution), 161. 
" Old South Meeting House " (Revolution), 
158. 

Omaha, 292, 345, 398, 399. 

" Omnibus Bill " (1850), 274 (note 1). 

Ordinance for the government of the North- 
west Territory (1787), 191. 

Oregon, discovered by Drake, 35. 

Gray enters the Columbia River, 210. 

Oregon Territory (including Washington, 
etc.), 265. 

how the U. S. got, 210, 227 (note 5), 263- 
265. 

Oregon admitted to the Union, 281. 
Oregon, the, in the war with Spain, 393. 
Osceola, 250. 

" Ostend Manifesto," the, and Cuba, 388. 
Otis, James (Colonial period), 153, 155. 
Otis, General, 397. 

Pacific, named by Magellan, 23. 
Balboa discovers the, 26, 27. 
search for the, by colonists, 55. 
Railroad completed, 344. 
effects of the, 345~347- 
Paine's "Common Sense" (Revolution), 
167. 

Pan-American Congress, 372. 
Panic, business, definition of, 253 (note 1). 
of 1837, 253. 
of 1857, 283. 
of 1873, 350. 
of 1893, 378. 
of 1894, 380. 
Pardon, President Johnson's proclamation 

of, 34i- 
Parkman (historian), 252. 
Parties, Political, see Federalist, Anti-Fed- 
eralist, Democratic Republican, Demo- 
cratic, American, or "Know Nothing," 
Populist, Whig, Republican, "Gold Dem- 
ocratic," " Free Silver," " Mugwump." 
Patent Office, Centennial, 375. 
Patroons, the, in New Netherland, 70, 
7i- 

Peabody, George, 362 (note 1). 

Pemberton, General, 317. 

Peninsular Campaign (see Civil War and 

Battles), 310. 
Penn, William, 76, 112, 118-121. 
Pennsylvania, grant of, to Penn, 118. 

Colony of, 119. 

" Great Law " of, 120. 

treaty made with Indians of, 120. 
Pension Act, new, 374. 
Pensions, 226 (note 1), 374, 398. 
Pepperrell, Colonel, 133. 

made a baronet, 134 (note). 
Pequots, 88, 99. 

Perry's victory on Lake Erie, 219, 220. 
Commodore, treaty with Japan, 278. 

Personal liberty laws in opposition to Fugi- 
tive Slave Act, 275. 

Petersburg mine, the (Civil War), 325. 

Petition, right of, defended by J. Q. Adams, 
244. 



lxXVi LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Petroleum discovered in Pennsylvania, 284, 
285. 

Standard Oil Company and, 367. 
Philadelphia founded, 119. 

historical importance of, 120-122, 143, 
177, 180, 386. 
Philippines annexed, 397. 
Philip's, King, war, 93. 
Phips, Sir William, 132. 

knighted, 134 (note). 
Phonograph, 351 (note 2). 
Pickens, Colonel, 186. 
Pickett, General (Civil War), 317. 
Pierce, sketch of life of, 277 (note 1). 

presidency, 276. 
Pilgrims, or Separatists, in Engiaud and 
Holland, 77. 

sail for America, 79. 

make a "law and order " compact, 79. 

settle at Plymouth, 80. 

their colony, 80-82. 

colony united with Massachusetts, 82, 95. 

See, too, Plymouth. 
Pillory and stocks in colonies, 149. 
Pinckney, 204. 

Pitt, William (Lord Chatham), 139, 154, 155. 
Pittsburgh, origin of the name, 139. 

to-day, 139. 
Plymouth Company chartered, 52. 
Plymouth named by Capt. John Smith, 80. 

settled by the Pilgrims, 80. 

Rock, 80. 

history of the colony, 80-82. 

united with Massachusetts, 82, 95. 

See, too, Pilgrims. 
Pocahontas, 55, 56. 
Poe, 252. 

Poems connected with American history, 

252 (note 2). 
Poets, American, 252. 

Poles in the Revolution, 175 (note), 182 (note 
1). 

Political parties, rise of (1789), 195. 

Federalists and Anti-Federalists, 195. 
Whigs and Democrats, 234 (note 2), 258, 

(note 3). 
Free Soil, 269, 273. 

American Party (" Know Nothings "), 

277 (note 1). 
" Populists," 377 (note 1). 
"Mugwumps," 363 (note 1). 
" Free Silver," 355 (note 3), 377 (note 1), 

382 (note 1), 383 (note 1). 
" Gold Democrat," 383 (note 1). 
Democratic Republicans, or early Re- 
publicans, 195, 206. 
Republicans, modern, 195 (note 4), 269, 
280 (note 2), 286. 
Political questions, some, 368. 
Polk, sketch of life of, 263 (note 2). 

presidency, 263. 
Polygamy, Mormon, 256, 257 (note 1). 
Ponce de Leon and Florida, 25, 26. 
Pontiac's conspiracy, 140. 
Pope, General (Civil War), 312 (note 2), 

Pope, the, divides the world, 17. 

praises the Americans (war with Trip- 
oli), 208. 



Popham Colony in Maine, 97 (note 1). 
" Popular Sovereignty," 273 (note 2). 
Population of the Colonies in 1763, 142. 

in 1776, 160. 
Population of the United States in 1790, 198. 

in i860, 298 (note 2). 

in 1890, 375. 

estimated at present time, 401 (note 2). 

Table of 1790 to 1890, see Appendix. 
" Populists," 377 (note 1). 
Porter's bombardment of forts below New 

Orleans, 309. 
Port Hudson, situation of, 310. 

taken, 319. 
Porto Rico (or Puerto Rico) annexed, 397. 
Portuguese voyages, 7, 8. 
Postage, colonial, 148. 

cheap present rates, 359. 
Potato, discovery of the, 37. 

introduced into England, 37. 
Powhatan, 55, 56. 
Preble, Commodore, 208. 
Prescott, Colonel, 163. 
Prescott (historian), 252. 
Presidential Succession Act, 369, 370. 
Prisoners of war (Civil War), 332 (note). 
Prohibition in Maine, 239 (note 1). 
Property held in common in colony of Vir- 
ginia, 53, 55. 

in Plymouth Colony, 78, 82. 
Protection (see Tariff), 374. 
Protocol signed (war with Spain), 395. 
Providence settled, 109. 
Puerto Rico (or Porto Rico) annexed, 397. 
Pulaski, Count (Revolution), 175 (note 1), 

182 (note 1). 
Pullman strike, the, 379. 
Puritans, origin of the, 63. 

religion of the, 63, 77, 83. 

the, settle Massachusetts, 83, 85. 

their colony and mode of government, 
85 • 

action respecting Roger Williams, 86, 

In- 
action respecting the Quakers, 91-93. 
in Maryland, 105, 106. 
Putnam, General (Revolution), 163, 170. 

" Quaker guns" (Civil War), 312 (note 3). 
Quakers, see Friends. 

Quebec Act, the (Revolution), 158 (note 3). 
Quebec founded, 56. 

expedition against (Colonial period), 132. 

the English take, 1759, 140. 

General Montgomery's expedition 

against, 1775, 165. 
Benedict Arnold's expedition against, 
1775, 165- 

Railroad, the first in America, 237, 238. 

the first transcontinental, 344-347. 
Railroads, growth of, in the U. S., 238, 257. 

effects of, in the U. S., 238, 249, 344-347. 

consolidation of, 367. 
Raleigh, Sir Walter, attempts to plant a 

colony in Virginia, 36-38. 
" Rally round the flag" (song), 319. 
Reaper, McCormick's, 277. 
Reciprocity measures (Tariff), 374 (note 5). 



INDEX. 



lxxvii 



Reconstruction begun, 335, 338, 341. 

Congress vs. the President's methods of, 
338. 

completed, 347, 353. 
Red Cross Society in the war with Spain, 
398. 

" Referendum " and " initiative " in legisla- 
tion (S. Dakota), 387 (note 1). 
Regicides, the, in New England, 102. 
Religious Freedom Act in Virginia (1785), 

215 (note 1). 
Religious liberty, none in England or Eu- 
rope formerly, 77, 83, 110. 
not recognized by the Puritans in Amer- 
ica, 83. 
none in Massachusetts, 83. 
condition of the colonies respecting, 

(1763), i43, i47- . , 

attendance at church required, 58, 147. 
condition of, in New Netherland, 73. 
in Georgia, 125. 
in Pennsylvania, 120. 
in the Carolinas, 115. 
in Virginia, 53. 
granted to all Christians in Maryland, 
105. 

granted to all persons in Rhode Island, 
110, in. 

protected in the Northwest Territory 
(1787), 191. 

See, too, Toleration Act, Quakers, 
Roger Williams, William Penn, Cath- 
olics. 

Removals from office, Jackson's, 241, 242. 

Representation in Congress (1790-1890), see 
Table in Appendix. 

Representation in Parliament demanded, 
iS4, i55- 
See Taxation. 

Representation offered us in England (Rev- 
olution), 180. 

Republicans, first party of that name, 195, 
206. 

origin of the modern party, 195 (note 4), 
269, 280 (note 2), 286 (note 1). 

election of Lincoln by the, 286. 

See, too, Political Parties. 
Resumption of specie payment, 355, 356. 
Revere's, Paul, ride, 161. 
Review, grand military, at close of Civil 

War, 335, 336. 
Revolution, the American, 152. 

causes of the, 152. 

becomes a war for independence, 168, 

169. 

England tries to compromise, 180. 

battles of the, see Battles. 

general summary of the, 188. 
Revolver, Colt's, 262 (note 1). 
Rhode Island, settlement of, 108, 109. 

entire religious liberty in, no, in. 

suffrage restricted in, 111. 

in the Revolution, in. 
Ribaut, Jean, 31. 
Rice, cultivation of, in S. C, 116. 
Richmond made the Confederate capital, 297. 

capture of, 331. 
" Ring," the " Boss " Tweed, in N. Y., 348. 

the Whiskey, 348. 



Riot, great, at Chicago, 365, 366. 

Road, National, 231, 232. 

Robertson, pioneer, 199. 

Roebling, builder of the Brooklyn bridge, 

358 (note 1). 
Roentgen, or X-Ray, 376 (note). 
Rolfe, John, in Virginia, 56, 58. 
Roosevelt, Lieut .-Colonel (war with Spain), 

394 (note 1). 
Rosecrans, General (Civil War), 314, 320. 
" Rough Riders " (war with Spain), 394. 
Rubber, hard or vulcanized, invented, 262 

(note 1). 

Salem, Mass., settled, 83. 

witchcraft, 94. 
Salt Lake City, 256, 291. 
Sampson, Rear-Admiral, 391-394. 
San Francisco, 271, 291, 345. 
Sanitary Commission (Civil War), 333. 
Santa Fe, second oldest town in the U. S., 
39- 

Savannah settled, 124. 

taken by the British (Revolution), 182. 

taken by Sherman (Civil War), 330. 
Savannah, first ocean steamship, 213. 
Schenectady burned by the Indians, 132. 
Schley, Rear-Admiral, 391-394. 
Schools, public, established in Mass., 88. 

Governor Berkeley on, in Va., 62 
(note 1). 

at the South, 362. 

See, too, Colleges and Education. 
Schuyler, General (Revolution), 176. 
Scientific discoveries, modern, 375 (note 3). 
Scotch in the colonies, 116, 124. 
Scotch-Irish in the colonies, 143. 
Scott, General (War of 1812, Mexico, and 

Civil War), 221, 249, 267, 268, 299, 300. 
Screw-propeller, 262 (note 1). 
Search, right of, 211, 260 (note 1). 
Secession threatened or defended, 247, 248, 
274. 

denounced by Webster, 248. 
South Carolina secedes, 288. 
ten other Southern states secede, 288, 
297. 

effect of the war on, 337. 
Sedition law, the, 205. 
Seminoles (see Wars, Indian), 227, 250. 
Separatists, or Pilgrims, the, 77. 
Sevier (pioneer), 199. 
Seward, Wm. H., 275, 279 (note 3), 342. 
Sewing-machine, the, 262 (note 1). 
Shadrach, rescue of, 275. 
Shafter, General (war with Spain), 394. 
Shawmut (Boston), 85. 
Shays's rebellion, 190. 
Sheep ranches at the West, 347. 
Shenandoah Valley, Jackson in the, 311, 
312. 

Sheridan's raid in the, 325, 331. 
Sheridan, General, sketch of life of, 325 
(note 1). 

raid in the Shenandoah Valley, 325, 331. 
ride, his celebrated, 325, 326. 
at battle of Winchester, 326. 
raids about Richmond, 331. 
Sherman, Roger, 168. 



lxxviii LEADING FACTS OF 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Sherman, General, sketch of life of, 318 
(note 1). 
and Mexican War, 269. 
in California, 269. 
at Pittsburg Landing, 307. 
moves against Vicksburg, 314. 
at Vicksburg, 318. 
raid on Meridian, 321. 
in the " Hammering Campaign," 322, 
323- 

advance on Atlanta, 326. 

march to the sea, 328. 

at Savannah, 330. 

letter to President Lincoln, 330. 

march northward, 330. 

Johnston surrenders to, 331. 

grand review of army at close of the 
war, 335. 
Shipbuilding, colonial, 86. 
Sigsbee, Captain, 389. 
Silk culture attempted in Ga., 124. 
Silver found in Nevada and Colorado, 284, 
349- 

the, dollar dropped from coinage, 349. 

the, dollar restored, 349. 

"free silver" coinage, demand for, 355 

(note 3), 377 (note 1), 382 (note 1), 383 

(note 1). 

Bland silver bill passes over veto, 355 
(note 3). 

value of, dollar, 355 (note 3), 374 (note 3). 

Sherman Silver Purchase Act, 374. 

Sherman Act repealed, 378. 

in politics, see Free Silver, above. 

See, too, Mint, Dollar, and Coinage. 
Slater, John F. (philanthropist), 362 (note 1). 
Slater, Samuel (cotton manufacture), 359. 
Slavery introduced into America, 61. 

spreads through all the colonies, 61, 71, 
125, 142. _ 

introduced into Georgia, 125. 

in the Constitution, 192 (note 3), 341. 

forbidden in the Northwest Territory, 
191. 

Fugitive slave law of N. E. (1643), 90 
(note 1). 

Fugitive slave law in Ordinance of 1787, 
191. 

Fugitive slave law provided for in the 
Constitution, 192 (note 3), 341. 

Fugitive slave law of 1793, 274 (note 1). 

Fugitive slave law of 1850, 274, 275. 

resistance to fugitive slave law, 275. 

effect of the cotton-gin on, 201, 202. 

Jefferson on danger of, 214. 

law restricting the importation of slaves, 
214. 

discussion of the western extension of, 

227-230, 269, 272, 287. 
how it divided the country, 227-2^0. 
change of feeling respecting, 228. 
why the North opposed extension of, 

229. 

the Missouri Compromise and, 230. 
Garrison attacks, 242. 
J. Q. Adams and, 244. 
Dr. Channing's attitude toward, 243. 
Webster and Lincoln on slavery and the 
Union, 244. 



Slavery endangers the Union, 274, 276. 
formation of abolition societies, 244. 
annexation of Texas and, 272. 
Wilmot Proviso and, 269. 
question of, in 1850, 273. 
the " Underground Railroad " and, 275. 
" Uncle Tom's Cabin " and, 275. 
contest of, with freedom, 276. 
Kansas-Nebraska Act and, 278. 
struggle over, in Kansas, 281. 
Seward's " Higher Law " and, 275. 
Dred Scott decision and, 282. 
split in the churches on account of, 283 

(note 4). 
John Brown's raid and, 285. 
slave states vs. free growth of, 288 and 

note 1. 

slave states vs. free representation of, 
in Congress, see Table of Represen- 
tation in Appendix. 

election of Lincoln vs., 287. 

Lincoln on, 294. 

the corner-stone of the Southern Con- 
federacy, 289, 290 (note 1). 

how the country was divided by, in 
1860-1861, 292. 

the enemy of the Union, 292. 

Butler, General, and the " Contrabands," 
298. 

Fremont's Proclamation of Emancipa- 
tion in Mo., 299 (note 4). 

Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, 
314,^337-. 

the Constitutional Amendments and, 

338, 339. 34i- 
compared with free labor, 361. 
progress of the South since the abolition 
of, 361, 362. 
Smith, Capt. John, in Va., 54-56, 68, 80. 
Smuggling by the colonists, 144, 153, 157. 
Socialism and Socialists (see, too, Property), 

367, 368._ 
Songs, national, 204, 223. 
Songs of the Civil War, 312, 313, 319, 324, 
329- 

South Carolina, see Carolina. 

secedes from the Union, 287. 
South Dakota, 373, 387. 
South, the, secedes (South Carolina leading), 
287-289. 

forms a Confederacy, 288, 289. 

fires on Sumter, 295. 

how, prepared for war, 298, 299. 

sufferings of, in the war, 333, 334. 

reconstruction of, 335, 338-341, 347. 

withdrawal of troops from, 353. 

the " Solid South," 353. 

the "New South" and its progress, 
361, 362. 

revised Constitutions of Southern States 

and negro suffrage, 386. 
restriction of suffrage in, 386. 
Spain, former possessions of, in America, 
39. 387- 
revolution in Cuba, 388, 389. 
the U. S. demands reforms from, 389. 
grants reforms in Cuba, 389. 
U. S. war with (1898), 388-398. 
evacuates Cuba, 397. 



INDEX. 



lxxix 



Spain cedes Porto Rico, the Philippines, 
and Guam to the U. S., 396, 397. 

Specie payment resumed by the U. S. 
(1879), 355- 

Speculation, wild, of 1837 (see, too, Panics), 

254- „ , 

" Spoils system," the, 242. 
" Squatter sovereignty," 273 (note 2). 
St. Louis, 209, 354. 
St. Paul, 291, 342. 

Stamp Act, the (Revolution), 154, 155. 

the Colonies protest against the (Revo- 
lution), 155. 
Tax (1898), 391. 
Standard Oil Company, 367. 
Standish, Capt. Myles, 79, 82, 89. 
Stanton, Secretary, removed by Johnson, 
34o. 

Star of the West fired on, 290. 
" Star Spangled Banner" (song), 223 (note 
2). 

Stark, General (Revolution), 46, 176. 
State constitutions revised, 386, 387. 

See, too, Reconstruction. 
" State Rights," doctrine of, 205, 247 (and 

note 3), 248, 289. 
States admitted to the Union, see Names of 

States. 

readmitted after the Civil War, 339, 
347- 

indestructible, 337. 

reconstruction of, after the Civil War, 
337-341- 

total number of, now in the Union, 381. 
Statue of Liberty at New York, 368. 
Steamboat, Fulton's, 212, 213. 
Steamboats, influence of, in the West, 213, 
249- 

Steam Printing Press, 262 (note 1). 
Steamship, first ocean, 213. 
Steamships, first line, established, 257. 
Steam wagons (locomotives), 237. 
Steele, Mrs., and General Greene (Revolu- 
tion), 185. 
Steuben, Baron (Revolution), 175. 
Stocks, punishment of the, 149. 
Stowe, Mrs. (" Uncle Tom's Cabin "), 275. 
Strikes, some great, 353, 365, 376, 379. 
Stuart, General (Civil War), 312. 
Stuyvesant, Governor (Colonial), 71-74. 
Sub-treasuries, U. S., 255. 
Suffrage restricted in Colonial period, 62, 
85, 86, in, 144. 

negro, at the South (Reconstruction), 
338, 34i, 343- 

negro, restricted at the South, 386. 

and legislation in S. Dakota, 387. 

and the Dorr rebellion in R. I., 259. 

and the Australian, or secret, ballot, 
377- 

woman, 373. 
Sumner, Charles, 276, 281. 
Sumter, Fort (Civil War), 290, 294, 332. 
Sumter, General (Revolution), 183, 186. 
Suspension Bridge, East River, or Brooklyn, 
358. 

Swedes settle Delaware, in, 112. 

in Pennsylvania, 122 (note 1). 
Swiss in the Colonies, 116. 



Tariff, the first U. S., 197, 246 (note 1). 

revenue-protective, 197. 

first protective, 212 (note 2). 

general sketch of tariffs, 246 (note 1). 

" of Abominations," so-called, 247. 

and nullification in S. C, 247. 

Clay's new, or Compromise, 249. 

protective vs. revenue, 234 (note 2). 

the McKinley (1890), 374. 

the Wilson (1894), 380. 

the Dingley (1897), 383. 
Taxation first imposed by the U. S. (1789), 
197. 

See Tariff. 

Taxation of the Colonies by England, 153- 

156, 159- , , . 

resistance of the Colonies to, 154-156, 

« 

without representation is tyranny," 
i55> i59- 

Colonists demand the right of levying 
their own taxes, 159. 
Taxation, Stamp Act, English, 154. 

of Tea by England, 156. 

for war with Spain, 391. 
Taylor, General (Mexican War), 266, 267. 

sketch of life of, 272 (note 1). 

presidency, 272. 
Tea, " Boston Tea Party," the, 158. 
Tecumseh's conspiracy, 216. 
Telegraph, invention of the, 260. 

Atlantic Cable, 261 (note 2), 341. 

Western Union, 367. 
Telephone, the, 351. 
Telescopes, Clarke's, 351 (note 2). 
Temperance cause, the (see, too, Prohibi- 
tion), 239, 240. 
Tennessee, 199, 203, 339. 
Tenure of Office Act, 340. 
Territory acquisition by the U.S.: 

1. Louisiana (1803), 208, 209. 

2. Florida (1819), 227. 

3. Texas (1845), 262. 

4. Oregon (1846), 210, 227 (note 5), 263- 

265. 

5. Mexican Cessions (California, etc.) 

(1848), 269. 

6. Gadsden Purchase (1853), 277 (note 

1). 

7. Alaska (1867), 342. 

8. Hawaii (1898), 395. 

9. Porto Rico, Philippines, and Guam 
. (1899). 397- 

Territory, the Northwest, Ordinance for the 

Government of the (1787), 191. 
Texas, annexation of, 262. 

and the Mexican War, 265. 
Thomas, General (Civil War), 306, 320, 328, 

33o. 

Ticonderoga, Ethan Allen takes, 162. 
Tilden vs. Hayes, contested election, 353 
(note 1). 

Tobacco culture in Virginia Colony, 37, 58, 
64. 

Toleration Act, 105, 215 (note 1). 

See, too, Religious Liberty. 
Tories of the Revolution, 166, 181. 
Town-meeting, government by, in Colonies, 
8i, 85. 144- 



1XXX LEADING FACTS OF 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Trade, foreign (Colonial), 52, 117, 143, 152, 
211,236,237. 

See Tobacco, Rice, Cotton, Commerce, 

Exports, 
restrictions on, 64, 152, 190, 211. 
restraint of, forbidden, 383. 
great increase in our foreign, 383, 384, 
400. 

See, too, Interstate Commerce Act, 370, 
and Tariff. 

Transportation Act (Revolution), 158 

(note 3). 
Travel, Colonial, 147. 
Treason, trial of Burr for, 212. 
Treaty between England and France (1763), 

141. 

between U. S. and France (1778), 179. 

of peace with England (1783), 189. 

Jay, with England (1795), 202. 

with France for Louisiana (1803), 208. 

of peace with England (1814), 224. 

with Spain for Florida (1819), 227. 

Webster- Ashburton, with England 
(1842), 259. 

with England for Oregon boundary 
(1846), 265. 

with Mexico, peace and cession of Mex- 
ican territory (1848), 269. 

Gadsden Purchase (1853), 277 (note 1). 

with Japan (1854), 278. 

with Russia for Alaska (1867), 342. 

of Washington with England (Alabama 
Claims) (1871), 352. 

annexation of Hawaii (1898), 395. 

with Spain — cession of Philippines, 
Porto Rico, and Guam (1899), 396, 
397- 

Various Boundary Treaties, see Table 
of Boundaries in Appendix. 
Trent affair (Civil War), 304. 
Tribute paid by us to Tripoli, 208. 
Tripoli, war with, 207, 208. 
"Trusts " organized in business, 366-368. 

vs. Dingley Tariff, 383. 
Tulane, Paul (philanthropist), 362 (note 1). 
Tweed, " Boss," in N. Y., 348. 
Tyler, presidency, 259. 
Typewriter, 351 (note 2). 

" Uncle Tom's Cabin," 275. 
" Underground railroad," 275. 
Union, the, how formed, 189, 192. 

the, vs. State Rights, see State Rights. 

Webster and Lincoln on saving the, 244. 

what Daniel Webster did for the, 248. 

Jackson's determination to maintain 
the, 248, 249. 

how threatened by slavery, 273, 274, 292. 

the war for, apparently inevitable, 292. 

what the Civil War decided respecting 
the, 337. 

is "an indestructible Union composed 

of indestructible States," 337. 
reconstruction of, after the Civil War, 

337-341, 347. 
what the American, offers, 401, 402. 
United States, independence of, declared, 
167. 

acknowledged by France, 179. 



United States, at the close of the Revolu- 
tion, 189-191. 

the critical period in history of, 189-191. 

Articles of Confederation, or first Con- 
stitution, 189. 

miserable condition of the country 
under, 189-191. 

the present Constitution framed and 
adopted, 191-193. 

the, Revolutionary debt, payment of, 
197. 

first, Census (1790), 198. 
first, Tariff (1789), 197. 
Bank of the, 198, 245. 
Mint established, 198. 
suffrage in, see Suffrage, 
the, in 1801, 207. 

expectation of extent of, in 1801, 207. 
territory acquired (1803 to 1899), see 
Territory. 

influence of its geography on its his- 
tory, 40, 50. 

roads, canals, railroads, telegraphs in, 
see Roads, Canals, Railroads, and 
Telegraphs. 

independent treasury established, 254. 

emigration to the, see Emigration and 
Immigration. 

reconstruction of Southern States of, 
see Reconstruction. 

National Banks established, 255 
(note 1). 

payment of Civil War debt, 343, 349 
(note 3), 355, 356. 

battles of, see Battles. 

wars of, see Wars. 

treaties of, see Treaties. 

area of the, 402 (note) . 

growth of, 291, 292, 368. 

population (see Population and Census), 
401, 402. 

national wealth of, 368, 401. 

commerce and exports of, see Commerce 
and Exports. 

agriculture of, see Agriculture. 

manufactures of, see Manufactures. 

education in, see Education, Schools, 
Colleges. 

literature in, see Literature. 

laws of the, see Laws. 

inventions and discoveries, see Inven- 
tions and Discoveries. 

present condition of the, 401, 402. 

advantages and opportunities in, 401, 
402. 

See, too, America and Union. 
University, Harvard, founded, 88. 

later universities of the Colonial period, 
89 (note 2). 

See, too, Colleges and Education. 
Utah settled by the Mormons, 256. 

prosperity of, 256. 

silver found in, 284. 

admission of, 373, 381. 

See, too, Mormons. 

Valley Forge, Washington at, 178, 180. 
Van Buren, sketch of life of, 252 (note 4). 
presidency, 252. 



INDEX. 



lxxxi 



Vanderbilt University, 362 (note 1). 
Van Rensselaer estates, 71, 260. 

and the Anti-Renters, 260. 
Venezuela question, the, 382. 
Vermont, 97 (note 2), 203. 
Verrazano's expedition, 2S (note 1). 
Vespucci, Amerigo, or Americus Vespucius, 

voyages of, 20. 21. 
Vetoes, presidential, 245 (and note 3), 338, 

349. 355 (note 3). 
"Vicksburg, situation, siege, and capture of, 

310, 317-319. 
Vigilance Committee in California, 271. 
Virginia, Raleigh sends expedition to, 36. 

named by Queen Elizabeth, 36. 

attempts of the English to colonize, 
3&-38. 

charter of, Company, 52, 53, 57. 
permanent settlement at Jamestown, 54. 
community of goods in, 53, 55. 
grants of land in, 58. 
- ' cultivation of tobacco in, 37, 58, 64. 
slavery introduced into, 61. 
House of Burgesses, or Assembly, estab- 
lished in, 60. 
importation of women, 60. 
white apprentices in, 61. 
Cavaliers in, 63. 

navigation laws hurt trade of, 64. 
Bacon's rebellion in, 65. 
land given to Arlington and Culpepper, 
64, 65. 

declared independent, 67, 167. 

R. H. Lee and Independence, 167. 
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, 205. 
Virginia Dare, birth of, 38. 
Vote, right to, restricted in Colonial times, 

restricted at the South, 386. 
See, too, Suffrage. 

Wampum, Indian, uses of, 44. 
War, the Pequot (1637), 88, 99. 
King Philip's (1675), 93. 
See, too, Indians, war with the. 
French and Indian (1689-1763), 131-142. 
" King William's" (1689), 132. 
■'Queen Anne's" (1702), 132. 
" King George's " (1744), 132. 
" French and Indian " U754\ 134. 

results of the entire, 141, 142. 
Pontiac's Conspiracy (1763), 140. 
Revolutionary, the (1775-1783), 152. 
with France (1798), 204. 
with Tripoli (1S01), 207. 
with Tecumseh (1811), 216. 
with England (1812-1815), 216. 

results of, 224. 
with the Creeks (1S14), 221. 
first Seminole (1818), 227. 
Black Hawk (1832), 250. 
second Seminole (1835), 2 5°- 
Mexican (1846-184S), 265-269. 

results of, 269. 
the Civil (1861-1865), 293. 

Union plan in the, 302. 

the North and the South in the, 333. 

cost of the, 332, 342 (note 1), 349 
(note 3). 



War, Civil, loss of life in the, 332. 
results of the, 337. 
Modoc (1872), 352. 
Sioux (1876), 352. 
with Spain (1898), 388-398. _ 

cost of, in money and life, 398. 
results of the, 398. 
territory acquired by, see Territory. 
See, too, Battles and Navy. 
Warren, General (Revolution), 163, 164. 
Washington, sketch of early life of, 136 
(note 2). 

probably descended from a Cavalier 
family in England, 63, 64. 

sent a messenger to the French, 135. 

his interest in the West, 136. 

accompanies Braddock, 138, 139. 

builds Fort Necessity, 137. 

is driven out by the French, 137. 

helps take Fort Duquesne, 139. 

member of the first Continental Con- 
gress, 159. 

made Commander-in-Chief of the Conti- 
nental Army, 163. 

takes command of the army, 164. 

drives the British out of Boston, 166. 

what he said respecting the independ- 
ence of the U. S., 167. 

at New York, 169, 170: 

saves Putnam and his army, 171. 

retreats northward, 171. 

retreats across New Jersey, 172, 173. 

retreats across the Delaware, 173. 

re-crosses the Delaware, 173. 

gains the victory of Trenton, 173. 

victor)' at Princeton, 175. 

worries General Howe, 177. 

at the Brandywine, 177. 

at Germantown, 178. 

and Benjamin Franklin, 179. 

winters at Valley Forge, 178, 180. 

battle of Monmouth, 181. 

and Gen. Charles Lee, 181. 

and Benedict Arnold, 1S3. 

winters at Morristown, 175, 184. 

great victory at Yorktown, 187, 188. 

and the Constitutional Convention, 192. 

presidency, 195. 

and Jay's treat}' with England, 202, 203. 
abused by certain newspapers, 203. 
death of, 205. 

centennial celebration of his inaugura- 
tion, 372. 

Washington, the national capital in 1801, 

207. 

taken by the British in War of iSi2, 222. 
Union armies reviewed and disbanded 
in, at close of the Civil War, 335, 336. 
Washington, the state of, originally a part 
of the Oregon Country, see Oregon, 
admitted to the Union, 373. 
Wayne, General (" Mad Anthony Wayne "), 
1S2, 200. 

"We are coming, Father Abraham " (song), 
312. 

Wealth of the United States, 401, 402. 
Weather Bureau established, 34S. 
Webster, Daniel, sketch of life of, 98 (and 
note 1), 248 (note 1). 



IXXXH LEADING FACTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Webster, Daniel, and Calhoun, 247, 248. 
his reply to Hayne, 247, 248. 
denounces secession, 248. 
defends the Union, 248. 
our debt to, 248. 

the Webster-Ashburton treaty, 259. 
supports the compromise measures of 
1850, 274. 

supports the Fugitive Slave law of 1850, 
274. 

how he wished to modify the law, 274 
(note 2). 

denounced by John Quincy Adams, 274. 

defended by Horace Greeley, 274. 

death of, 276. 
Webster, Noah, dictionary of, 251 
Wells, Dr. Horace, 262 (note 1). 
Welsh, the, in the Colonies, 113. 
Wesley, John and Charles, in Georgia, 125. 
West, French exploration of the, seven- 
teenth century, 126-131. 

the Ohio Company formed, 135. 

Washington's interest in the, 136. 

the Northwest Territory, 190, 191, 200. 

exploration of the far (1S04-1806), 209, 
210. 

acquisition of the far, see Territory, 
emigration to the, 135, 199, 231, 232, 249, 

250, 256, 257, 291, 346, 381, 399. 
growth of the, 135, 199, 200, 231, 232, 

249, 250, 256, 257, 291, 292, 345-347, 

381, 399- 

the " National Road" and the, 231, 232. 

effect of the Erie Canal on the, 236, 237. 

effect of steamboats on the, 213, 249. 

effect of railroads on the, 238, 344-347. 

effect of "mowers*' and "reapers" on 
the, 277, 277 (note 2), 278 (note). 

the, and the extension of slavery, see 
Slavey, Missouri Compromise, Com- 
promise of 1S50, Wilmot Proviso, Re- 
publican Party, Popular or Squatter 
Sovereignty, Kansas-Nebraska Act, 
Dred Scott Decision, Free Soilers. 

speculation in Western lands, 254. 

cities of the (and see names of), 291. 

the Omaha Exposition and the, 398, 399. 

cheap and free lands in the, 346, 399. 

the work of the Mormons in the, 256. 

the Homestead Act and the, 346, 399. 

Agricultural Colleges in the, 400. 

wouian suffrage in the, 37^. 

the "initiative" and " referendum " in 
the, 387 (and note 1). 

the, to-day, 399, 400. 

See, too, Agriculture, and Western 
States and Cities by name. 
West Indies, 16, 86, 125, 152. 
West Point, 171, 183. 



West Virginia, 297, 333. 

Western Union Telegraph, 367. 

Weyler, General (Cuba), 3S9. 

Wheelright. Rev. John (Colonial period), 97. 

Whigs of the Revolution, 166. 

rise of the, 196 (note 1). 

victon' of, in 1840, 258. 

See, too, Political Parties. 
Whiskey rebellion (1794), 202. 
_ rin g>" 348. 

\N hue apprentices in \ irginia, 61. 

"Apron Brigade," the, in Va., 65. 
Whitefield in Georgia, 125. 

advocates introduction of slavery, 125. 
Whitman, Dr., and Oregon, 263, 264. 
Whitney invents the cotton-gin, 200. 
Whittier, 252. 

William and Mary College, Va., 89 (note 2). 
Williams, Roger, driven from Massachu- 
setts, 86, 108. 

believed in "soul liberty," 87. 
why objected to by Massachusetts au- 
thorities, 87. 
saves Massachusetts from an Indian 
war, 88. 

settles Providence, R. I., 108, 109. 

establishes entire religious liberty in 
R. I., no. 

secures a liberal charter for R. I., ni. 
Wilmot Proviso, the. and slaver}', 269, 273. 
Winslow, Captain (Civil War), 324. 
Winthrop, Governor (Colonial), 84. 
Wisconsin, 191, 250, 273. 
Witchcraft in Salem, Mass., 94. 
Wolfe takes Quebec, 140, 141. 
Woman suffrage. 373 (and note 3). 
Women of the Revolution, 185. 

in the Civil War, 333. 

in war with Spain, 39S, 399 (and note 1). 
Worden, Lieutenant (Civil War), 305. 
World's Fair of 1S53, the, 277. 
World's Fairs, see Exhibitions. 
Writs of Assistance (Colonial period), 153. 
Wyoming, Pennsylvania (Revolution), 181. 
Wyoming, 373. 

" X-Ray," the, 376 (note). 
"X. Y. Z. Papers," the, 204. 

Yale University, 89 (note 2). 
"Yankee Doodle" (Revolution), 162. 
; Yeardley, Governor (Colonial), 59, 60. 
York, the Duke of, seizes New Netherland, 
74- 

names it New \ ork, 74. 
seizes Delaware, 112. 
Yorktown, capture of (Revolution \ 1S6-1SS. 
(Civil War), 311. 
I Young, Brigham, 256. 



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The books provide simple and continuous experimental work 
throughout the course, which can be performed with little or no 
outlay for apparatus. This feature, peculiar to the Blaisdell physi- 
ologies, has been found no less valuable than original. 

All the books of the series comply fully with the State laws, 
which require the study in the public schools of the effects of alco- 
holic drinks, tobacco, and other narcotics upon the bodily life. 

In brief, Blaisdell's physiologies present, as good taste and 
good sense dictate, a well-arranged, practical, pointedly written, 
and interesting statement of the things with which students of 
physiology in our schools should become familiar. 



GINN & COMPANY, Publishers, 

Boston. New York. Chicago. Atlanta. Dallas. 



FRYE'S GEOGRAPHIES 



FRYE'S ELEMENTS OF GEOGRAPHY. Small 4 to. Cloth 
164 pages. Fully illustrated. For introduction, 65 cents. 

FRYE'S COMPLETE GEOGRAPHY. With an Appendix con 
taining 24 pages of Reference Maps. Large 4to. Cloth. 184 
pages. Profusely illustrated. For introduction, $1.25. 

Frye's geographies are universally recognized as rep- 
resenting an advance movement in education, but their 
crowning merit lies in the fact that they not only can 
secure better results than other books, but can make the 
pupils' work more interesting and the teacher's work 
lighter. 

The success of Frye's geographies, which is literally 
unparalleled in the history of text-book publishing, shows 
that there is a deep and widespread demand for the best 
ideas, methods, and books. It goes without saying, that, 
at the beginning, it requires a little more skill and pains 
to teach the pupils to get ideas instead of words from 
their text-books ; but that is of course the only right way, 
and in a little time it becomes the easier and more 
pleasant. 



L. H. Jones, Superintendent of Public Schools, Cleveland, Ohio: 

I am delighted with Frye's Complete Geography; it is thoroughly 
modern and in line with the best methods of teaching. 

F. F. Murdock, Principal of State Normal School, North Adams, Mass. 

I make no reservation when 1 say that Frye's Complete is the best 
grammar-school geography I have ever used. 

J. R. Miller, Superintendent of Schools, Big Rapids, Mich. 

I have examined a number of the best geographies published and 
after a very careful comparison I have recommended Frye's geographies 
(Elements and Complete) as the best on the market. 



GINN & COMPANY, Publishers, 

Boston. New York. Chicago. Atlanta. Dallas. 



APR 291299 



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